


The Dark Side of the Moon

by Philosoferre



Series: Red, Orange, Yellow [1]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Bookstores, Boys In Love, Cats, Childhood Friends, Cliffhangers, Curses, Dark Magic, Dark Past, Exes, F/M, Falling In Love, Fire Powers, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, Multi, Plot Twists, Potions, Redemption, Reincarnation, Secrets, Slow Romance, Spells & Enchantments, Surprise Ending, Threats, Witchcraft, Witches, all my witchcraft knowledge comes from charmed ok, awesome witch grantaire, cliche witches, coven - Freeform, coven des amis, criminal montparnasse, enjolras knows not of witchcraft, excuse my awful spell making skills, i am not a witch, lots of made up stuff in here, mysterious grantaire, papyrus has a major role, powers in general, the tricoloured rosette is here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-07-21 21:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7404805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Philosoferre/pseuds/Philosoferre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What's your real reason for being here?" Eponine spat, articulating each separate word with a sharp hiss.</p>
<p>"Your coven, Eponine. They're the key to my redemption. I hand your powers to the government, they free me. It's as simple as that."</p>
<p>Eponine released him roughly onto the street.</p>
<p>"You'll never get what you want, then."</p>
<p>Montparnasse dusted his coat, smiling wickedly, eyes glowing, "Oh, but I will."</p>
<p>~</p>
<p>Coven des Amis are threatened by a powerful new enemy. Eponine runs into an equally powerful childhood friend who may be the hero they need. Another witchcraft AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to write a witchcraft AU for months now, so here you go. Please excuse my vague knowledge of spells, potions, curses and witches in general, because it all comes from marathons of Charmed and Harry Potter, so...  
> To my dearest Mirela, the E to my R, and my wonderful sister, a fellow Charmed fan.

_Black and blue_

_Beats thy heart_

_Mend broken pieces_

_Through Wiccan art_

 

Enjolras whined in frustration and ripped the piece of papyrus in half. It was a waste, he knew it, because papyrus was in such short supply, and Jehan had traded an entire jar of lavender seeds for a single scroll.

 

This was his fifth attempt at a mending spell, and he was starting to lose hope.

 

The scrap of papyrus was marred with half-erased spells, all of which hadn’t worked.

 

This one had to work, it just _had to_.

 

Courfeyrac noticed his frustration and rolled off the couch, abandoning his fortress of blankets, pillows and empty snack bags. He shook his head and took the papyrus from Enjolras’ hands, gently setting them down on the coffee table.

 

“You don’t have to do this, I’ll be fine.”

 

Enjolras shook his head, “No, you won’t. You really liked Bella, and she…she cheated on you. I have to fix this, Courf. It hurts too much, seeing you moping around.”

 

Courfeyrac’s smile was sad, and it tugged at Enjolras’ heart. How he hated seeing his friend like this.

 

“There’s a difference between ‘really liked’ and ‘loved’. It’s fine, really, this broken heart can mend itself. You probably have more important things to be doing, anyways.”

 

Enjolras shrugged, “Not really, no. I asked Jehan to get papyrus just to write the spell for you. I’m not giving up.”

 

Courfeyrac didn’t say anything, just looked at the papyrus scraps beside him.

 

“Maybe it isn’t working because the previously attempted spells aren’t completely erased?” He suggested.

 

Enjolras shook his head, “No spell is ever completely erased, that shouldn’t be a factor.”

 

Courfeyrac shrugged and went back to the couch, opening a tub of ice cream and silently scooping it out.

 

Enjolras sighed at the papyrus and, with a little flick of his hand, mended the two halves back into a whole. He stared at it for some time before tucking it in his collection of failed spells. Courfeyrac was still moping, still heart broken. He had just wanted to help his friend, but, well, if Courfeyrac wanted to deal with this alone, he could deal with it alone.

 

~

 

Coven des Amis gathered every Friday night in an old spell bookshop that had once belonged to a local enchantress. The Coven consisted of thirteen witches, all old or new friends, close-knit like their own strange family. Sometimes, their messenger, Gavroche, joined them. They were led by Enjolras, who had memorized entire spell books and textbooks and Wiccan rituals for the sake of the Coven.

 

This was one of those nights when Gavroche decided to turn up at the gathering. He even remembered to wear the Coven’s symbol: the tricoloured rosette, pinned to the front of his worn jacket. They hadn’t started the rituals yet, so Enjolras was setting up the altar on the platform while Combeferre selected incantations when he came in.

 

“Gavroche, it’s nice of you to join us,” Enjolras said.

 

Gavroche shrugged, “Yeah, I decided it might be time to grace the lot of you with my presence. Actually, I need ‘Ponine.”

 

Combeferre looked up from the spell book he was reading and pointed towards the spiral staircase that led to the loft, “She’s up there. Why?”

 

“Old friend wants to see her.”

 

“Which old friend?” Enjolras asked.

 

“That’s for her to know,” Gavroche said, and disappeared upstairs.

 

~

 

Gavroche found Eponine sorting a pile of old spell books and rearranging the pillow set of the nearby bay window. The curtains were drawn back, and Gavroche could tell she had manipulated the view to resemble the Seine. He sat down on the window seat and watched her sort books for a while.

 

“’Ponine?”

 

Eponine turned around, “Yeah?”

 

“He’s back.”

 

~

 

The Corinth was basically witch-central and, according to rumours she had heard, Eponine expected to find him there.

It had been twelve years since she had last seen him, and yet he looked the exact same. Glowing blue eyes, wild raven curls, bracelets adorning his wrists, rings on his fingers and immaculate combat boots. Eponine could still sense that weird aura of magic of his, the one aura she hadn’t ever been able to decipher. There was an untouched glass on the table, filled with a sparkling red liquid.

 

Eponine sat down opposite him, hands clasped together underneath the table.

 

“I heard you were in town,” She said.

 

He smiled, “So Gavroche did get you. How have you been doing, Eponine?”

 

“Good, I guess. Joined a coven- Coven des Amis, maybe you’ve heard of them.”

 

“Possibly.”

 

“And what about you? Still going solitary, like you were planning on doing twelve years ago?”

 

“Still going solitary, yes. Covens aren’t for me.”

 

Eponine didn’t bother asking about the story, for she knew there was one behind that. Instead, she switched subjects to a much more pressing matter.

 

“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you in town?”

 

His eyes glowed a more vibrant blue, “Paris will always be my home, Eponine. Besides, Toulouse was getting a little…dangerous.”

 

Eponine nodded, “I see.”

 

The untouched glass suddenly appeared in Eponine’s hand, where it was resting on the table. She cautiously raised it to her lips, peering at her old friend over the rim of the glass.

 

“What is this, exactly?”

 

“Wine.”

 

“It’s radiating magic.”

 

“With a protection spell, of course. Wouldn’t want anything happening to you, would I?”

 

Eponine downed the glass and set it down on the table. He passed her a fabric pouch, tied at the top with a single red ribbon. It had the same strange aura of magic.

 

“What’s this?” She asked, weighing the pouch in her hands.

 

“A collection of protective charms and spells. For your coven.”

 

Eponine smiled to herself and looked up, warm brown meeting vibrant blue.

 

“Thank you, Grantaire.”

 

He leaned back in the booth, smiling.

 

“No problem.”

 

And with that, he disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

_Protection circle_

_Mind of sage_

_Safe dreams_

_Miracle_

 

Enjolras crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the scrap of papyrus Eponine was holding. The handwriting was unfamiliar, unlike anything he’d ever seen.

 

“You say you got this from an old friend?” He asked.

 

Eponine nodded, “Yeah, Gav just informed me today that he was in town. He gave me a bunch of protection charms and spells.”

 

She dumped the pouch on a table, spreading apart the miscellaneous items. There were pinecones, jars of potions, various leaves, an assortment of coloured string, a few feathers, several scraps of papyrus and a bundle of rosemary. Enjolras inspected the items with disdain, reading over every papyrus scrap and setting it aside, in a separate pile. None of the written spells rhymed- they were just a mismatched collection of words, organized into four lines.

 

“And you’re sure that this friend of yours is a witch?”

 

Eponine scoffed, “Please, I know Grantaire. He’s definitely a witch, and an all-powerful one at that. Crazy good with potions, spells, charms, curses- anything, really. Plus, he’s got rare powers.”

 

Enjolras raised an eyebrow, “Like what?”

 

“Metamorphosis. Manipulation.”

 

“And he’s solitary, right?”

 

“Yeah…?”  


“Is there any way you can contact him to check if these…spells and charms are legit?”

 

“You doubt the spells?”

 

“Well, yes. They came from an unknown source-“

 

“Grantaire is not an unknown source, he’s a friend! Dangerous, yes. Mysterious, perhaps. Solitary, you bet. Trustworthy, yes. He would never give me spells that didn’t work, let alone protection spells that didn’t work.”

 

“OK, but, they don’t rhyme, and spells have to rhyme.”

 

Eponine rolled her eyes, “Please, you know as well as I do that the only laws of spell writing and crafting are that they must be four lines and written on papyrus. They don’t have to rhyme.”

 

Enjolras looked down at the pile of spells, and then back up at Eponine. He nodded.

 

“OK. Get everyone to help you set up the charms and cast the spells. If what he said about danger in Toulouse is right, we’re going to need all the protection we can get.”

 

~

 

“Eponine, can you go outside to charm the streetlight?” Combeferre asked.

 

His hands were sparkling from handling the crushed silver jar. She nodded, and he handed it to her. Crushed silver was the most reliable way to detect danger- something she had learned from Grantaire- and if sprinkled on the streetlights, they’d automatically turn off whenever danger was nearby.

 

Eponine headed outside, coating her fingers in a barely-noticeable layer of crushed silver to smear on the streetlights. There was one right outside the main entrance to the bookshop, which was probably the one Combeferre had wanted her to charm. She reached up to draw a spiral pattern with her fingers when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

 

Eponine spun around and narrowed her eyes, fingers still against the cold surface of the streetlight.

 

“Montparnasse,’ she said coldly. ‘What brings you here?”

 

Montparnasse flexed his hands, stretching the fabric of his pea coat. His sharp green eyes glowed with a dangerous, untamed fire.

 

“I just wanted to visit you, is that so wrong?”

 

Eponine suddenly had her hand fisted in the collar of his coat, eyes narrowed, teeth bared.

 

“We’re exes, Parnasse. You shouldn’t want to visit me.”  


He smiled devilishly, “Oh, but I do. You sold me out to the government, not the other way around.”

 

“What’s your real reason for being here?” Eponine spat, articulating each separate word with a sharp hiss.

 

“Your coven, Eponine. They’re the key to my redemption. I hand your powers to the government, they free me. It’s as simple as that.”

 

Eponine released him roughly onto the street.

 

“You’ll never get what you want, then.”

 

Montparnasse dusted his coat, smiling wickedly, eyes glowing, “Oh, but I will.”

 

He faded away.

 

Eponine finished her streak of crushed silver before hastily returning to the bookshop, making sure the door was locked behind her. She handed the crushed silver jar back to Combeferre and he eyed her cautiously, noticing her state of disarray.

 

“Eponine? Are you alright?” He asked.

 

Eponine nodded, “Yeah, fine. I’m fine.”

 

Combeferre looked at her with unguarded disbelief, but kept his thoughts to himself. He simply let her pass and head back to the loft, eyeing the crushed silver jar with an untamed curiosity. Whatever had happened out there, it wasn’t something good.

 

Eponine found Gavroche on the bay window, nonchalantly flipping through a thick book entitled _The Onyx Curses Volume II_. Eponine frowned, snatching the book out of his hands and jamming it onto the crowded bookshelf.

 

“I thought I told you not to read about the Onyx Curses,” She said sharply.

 

“You did,’ Gavroche agreed. ‘I just didn’t listen.”

 

Eponine rolled her eyes and pushed his legs off to make room for herself. Sometimes, when she was near a younger generation of witches, she forgot that bad magic even existed. But her previous encounter proved that it did: if not the man himself, then his motivations.

 

“The Onyx Curses are an especially bad brand of magic, Gav. I don’t want you reading about them. Not yet, anyways.”

 

“How bad can they get?”

 

“Montparnasse got his start from practicing the Magic of the Onyx Curses. They don’t just provide you with efficient curses and kill-spells and recipes for necromancy potions, they drag you into the realm of bad magic. Bind you to evil powers. Necromancy is extremely frowned upon, and so are the Onyx Curses. Just don’t read about them again, alright?”

 

Gavroche nodded, “Sure thing, ‘Ponine. Now, tell me, what happened outside?”

 

Eponine stared at him, confused, “What do you mean, ‘what happened outside’?”

 

“Parnasse showed up, didn’t he? I felt his magic.”

 

“It was nothing. He just stopped by.”

 

“That isn’t like him, you know that, and it isn’t like you to let him ‘just stop by’, either.”

 

Eponine sighed and leaned against the cool glass of the window, “He came, told me he’s planning on stripping the entire Coven of our powers to give to the government so they can grant him redemption. And then he disappeared.”

 

“How would our powers grant him redemption, exactly?”

 

Eponine’s eyes darkened, “I don’t know, and I don’t really want to.”

 

Gavroche left the window and leaned over the mahogany railing of the loft, peering down at the members of the Coven des Amis below.

 

“Oi, fellow witches, we’ve got a major problem!” He called.

 

Enjolras looked up from his spot beside Combeferre, blue eyes clouded with worry.

 

“What problem? And how major are we talking about?”

 

“It’s Montparnasse. He wants our powers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duhhh


	3. Chapter 3

_He has a mind of dark_

_Temptation binds his soul_

_Upon your life he left his mark_

_In your game, fulfill your role_

Enjolras watched Eponine line the papyrus scrap with kohl, her hands shaking despite the warmth. All the members of the Coven had gathered in the bookshop’s backroom, their entire supply of candles lit and scattered around the room, illuminating Eponine as she prepared a shielding incantation. Enjolras, along with everyone else, knew that those spells were only good for a few days- just long enough for them to prepare a defense plan without having to worry about Montparnasse’s attacks. 

 

As part of the shielding incantation ritual, Eponine held the kohl-lined papyrus scrap above a single candle, watching intensely as the flames illuminated the words in an enchanting, brilliant orange glow. After a while, the glow faded away and Eponine set the papyrus on a small makeshift table. She turned to face Enjolras with wide eyes.

 

“This shielding incantation you wrote, how long should it be able to protect us?” He asked.

 

“About 72 hours. But we should always be prepared in case it runs out of enchantment before.”

 

Enjolras nodded, “I see. We have three days to create a defense plan, an attack plan and backups. I say we divide ourselves into groups, and each group will conquer a different plan.”

 

“I’m just saying, Montparnasse is a pretty damn powerful witch. He’s got dozens of allies, lots of them worse than himself. Wouldn’t it be wise to get some equally powerful help?” Bahorel asked.

 

Eponine’s eyes lit up, “That…that might just work. If we develop a defense plan, plus a backup attack plan, and get some help, we could have a chance of defeating him.”

 

Enjolras frowned, “No, it’s too dangerous. We’re not going to involve anyone outside of the coven in this, understood? It’s our fight and our fight alone. Now, Feuilly, Bahorel, Jehan and Eponine, can you guys work on an attack plan?”

 

The quadruplet nodded before exiting the backroom to start their work. Enjolras turned to the remaining members of the Coven.

 

“Joly, Bossuet, Musichetta and Gavroche, can you guys develop some backup defense and attack mechanisms? Preferably charms, thanks.”

 

The four witches also exited the room, and Enjolras could hear them make their ascend to the loft, already discussing ideas. He set his gaze upon the two remaining members: Courfeyrac and Combeferre.

 

“And what will we do?” Courfeyrac asked.

 

“Start on a defense plan, of course,” Enjolras rolled his eyes.

 

Combeferre smiled, “Well, then, let’s get planning.”

 

~

 

The triumvirate were currently occupying the dimly lit backroom, surrounded by flickering candles and unsteady piles of books. Courfeyrac and Enjolras were both lying on their stomachs, books in front of them, as they researched defense mechanisms, spells, enchantments, incantations, charms and potions. Meanwhile, Combeferre jotted down and organized all their research.

 

Courfeyrac pointed to his book, “We could use the Rabbit’s Foot Enchantment.”

 

“What’s that?” Combeferre asked, intrigued.

 

“It’s basically a rabbit foot used to grant good luck and success, and the book says that you can get them pre-enchanted in stores or make our own enchantment. But that seems like a lot of work, so I think we can get the pre=enchanted one. Anyways, it says here that if you wrap your spell scroll around the rabbit foot, it’ll automatically grant you luck with whatever spell you’re casting. It’s worth a try if we want to use a power-stripping spell, or a banishing incantation or something.”

 

Enjolras cleared his throat, “Store-bought enchanted rabbit foots cost a lot, and the chances of getting one with an extremely lucky enchantment is very rare. We have a better chance making our own enchantment, where we can at least modify the ingredients to alter our ending result. If I remember correctly, adding dandelion milk to the enchantment increases your chances of success with the spell.”

 

Combeferre nodded, “Enjolras has a point. We’ll get a rabbit foot, unless we already have one, and make our own enchantment to go along with it. This ‘Rabbit’s Foot Enchantment’ is not a guarantee that you’ll get lucky with your spell, it just increases your chances, Courf.”

 

“I know that. And I think we do have a rabbit’s foot, at least one. Let me go ask Jehan, he’s in charge of our inventory,” Courfeyrac said.

 

He got up and left the backroom to locate Jehan, accidentally extinguishing a candle on his way out. Enjolras sighed, leaned over, and held his hand above it until small flames appeared. He had always been fascinated with his gift of pyrokinesis, and for some time, he couldn’t take his eyes off of the orange-blue flames he had produced with his mind and hands.

 

“Enjolras, have you got anything?” Combeferre asked.

 

Enjolras blinked, startled, before shaking his head and continuing to flip through the book.

 

~

 

“Ivory Potion. Allows who ever drinks it to deflect another’s magic and/or weapons for a 24-hour span.”

 

Combeferre nodded briskly as he jotted it down in his notebook, along with the other 27 spells, potions, curses, incantations and enchantments Courfeyrac and Enjolras had found over the past half hour. They all knew that whatever they had found wouldn’t last too long, but they had no other options. They’d have to reuse all their spells to be able to fight back effectively.

 

They could only hope it would go their way.

 

“How many do we have?” Courfeyrac asked.

 

Combeferre looked up from his notebook, “27 so far. I think we should get a few more, and then we can convene with everyone else to discuss an actual plan.”

 

Enjolras nodded, “Yeah, let’s do that.”

 

He returned to his task, flipping through spell book upon spell book, searching for spells that could help them.

 

~

 

An hour later, the Coven convened in the main hall of the bookstore, sitting in a circle, notebooks and paper spread out between them. Joly and Eponine reported on their findings, as well as Combeferre. They highlighted their plans and organized the information, creating backup and attack plans as well. Enjolras believed that they’d only need them if worst came to worst, and right now, that wasn’t exactly their biggest concern.

 

They ended their meeting half an hour later, and all parted ways, except for Gavroche, who stayed behind to clean the main hall and organize the various spell books that they left lying around the store. He finished cleaning up and, proud of his work, locked up the store and proceeded to head home.

 

He turned the street, and was pulled into an alley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who took Gavroche? You'll find out in the next chapter. Dun dun duhh


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I took so long updating O.O  
> I was just really busy lately, but here's chapter 4! Enjoy!

“Bossuet, do you have the daffodils?” Enjolras asked.

Bossuet looked up from his assortment of ingredients, all spread out in an unorganized fashion on one of the bookshop’s old display tables, which they used as prep stations. He picked up a small bouquet, nodded, and handed it to him. 

The entire Coven was currently gathered in the main area of the bookshop, where they had cleared away the bookcases to create enough workspace. They were all hunched over prep stations, except for Gavroche, who awkwardly hovered at the back, watching them work. 

They had figured out a defense plan a few days ago, which consisted of everyone taking the Ivory Potion at the same time, and having a few members attack Montparnasse while he was distracted. Eponine had volunteered to do so, with Bahorel and Jehan at her side. Enjolras had faith in them, and he hoped it wasn’t misplaced. 

“You almost done over there? How long does it take to make a potion?” Eponine yelled over, from where Combeferre was casting a spell on her.

“Shut up, I’m almost done,” Enjolras snapped.

Eponine rolled her eyes, but turned away from him anyways. The group continued working in silence, and soon Enjolras was finished the potion.

As he poured the potion into individual vials, he noticed Gavroche looking directly at him. Enjolras frowned, shook his head, and concentrated on making sure the vials didn’t overflow. As he was cleaning up his station, he felt Gavroche’s eyes still on him, and he couldn’t help but shiver. He didn’t exactly like being watched.

~

It was already dark out by the time everyone was done, and the defense plan was complete. The Coven gathered in the backroom, sitting in a circle on the hardwood floor. Everyone had a potion vial in their hands, and Combeferre’s shielding spell casting a glittering aura around them. Enjolras nodded at the group.

“The final step in ensuring the plan is to take the potion at the same time. When I count to three, drink your potion.”

Enjolras waited until everyone’s vials where at their lips, including his own. The potion didn’t smell particularly good, but they had to deal with it for the time being.

“1.”

Enjolras took a breath.

“2.”

He tipped the vial.

“3.”

All eleven members of the Coven swallowed the potion, noses wrinkled in disgust because of the bad taste and horrid smell. Eponine clutched at her chest, coughing into her empty vial. Enjolras wiped his mouth and looked up at everyone else. They all set their vials down and looked back at him expectantly.

“What do we do now?” Feuilly asked.

“We wait,” He answered.

~

Eponine looked over the rim of her nearly-empty wine glass at Grantaire, who slid into the booth opposite her. His jeans and shirt were covered in paint (or potion) stains, streaks of bold colour glowing in the dim lighting. His blue eyes were bright and focused, but not on the full glass in his hands.

“I heard you wanted to talk to me,” He said.

“Where did you hear that?”

“Word on the street. Do you, or did I come for no reason?”

Eponine rolled her eyes, “Even if I didn’t want to talk to you, you’d still come here for the alcohol.”

Grantaire seemed to consider this.

“True.”

“And, yes, I do want to talk to you. My Coven are facing an enemy, you see, so we took a potion this morning to help us.”

“What potion?”

“The Ivory Potion, I think it was called.”

Grantaire choked on his wine, “That is so first-level. That potion won’t help you at all, it’s, like, really basic defense. Your enemy can easily defeat you.”

Eponine tensed, “And what would you know about this?”

Grantaire smiled, “More than you’d ever like to.”

She frowned and drummed her fingers on her glass. Grantaire was confusing, and sometimes she wondered if he even understood himself.

“It was nice talking to you, Eponine.”

He disappeared.

Eponine glared at the bottom of her glass, eyeing her blurry reflection. She decided an empty glass wasn’t good and headed to the bar to refill it. It was going to be a long night.

~

The Coven reconvened again two days later, and Enjolras watched with pride as his friends practiced self-defence in their makeshift studio, throwing punches at dummies and casting spells at inanimate objects. He had faith that they would eventually defeat Montparnasse, and if not today, then sometime soon. He knew they could, and he wouldn’t give up on them so easily. 

And suddenly, there was a cold gust of wind from the doorway. 

Everyone froze, and Enjolras slowly turned around, heart beating wildly in his chest. There was no one there, but the air temperature had dropped. He ignored the worried glances Combeferre kept sending his way and, gritting his teeth, he strode out of the studio.

Leaning casually against one of the bookcases was Montparnasse, head cocked to the side, fingers idly playing with the collar of his jacket. He smiled when he saw Enjolras.

“Montparnasse.”

“Enjolras. So nice of you to show up.”

“It got colder all of a sudden, I had to check it out.”

Montparnasse raised an eyebrow, “Oh, did you like that? It was just a little trick a friend of mine taught me. Apparently, it’s a useful tactic.”

Enjolras squared his jaw, hands clenched in fists at his side, “What do you want?”

Montparnasse moved away from the bookcase, “I think you already know.”

Enjolras turned around to face his friends, who had all quietly crept out of the studio to see what was going on. He noticed Combeferre restraining Eponine, but said nothing.

Montparnasse smiled at the group, clearly amused, before beckoning for someone to come forward. Gavroche removed himself from the group, lingering at the edge uncomfortably.

Enjolras turned back to face Montparnasse, more confident that he would win than ever before.

“Whatever it is you’re planning, it won’t work,’ He said. ‘We all took the Ivory Potion, you can’t hurt us.”

Montparnasse’s smile grew wider, “Oh, didn’t you know? Your 24 hours are up.”

Enjolras opened his mouth to argue. He heard the rest of the Coven gasp, clearly surprised. His heart rate increased. What did this mean for them? They were completely vulnerable now, with no strong defence. And how did Montparnasse know?

“How do you know?” Courfeyrac asked, voice trembling quietly.

“A little bird told me.”

Montparnasse wrapped an arm around Gavroche’s shoulders, and the kid did nothing about it. He just looked at the Coven with a marble expression. Eponine furrowed her brow, and when the realization dawned upon her, she opened her mouth in shock and fought against Combeferre’s restraint. He held her tighter, knuckles turning white against the black of her shirt sleeves. Eponine’s dark eyes were glistening with tears, and she was yelling a loud, angry string of curse words, but it all went over Enjolras’ head. He simply couldn’t believe that Gavroche had told their enemy.

Montparnasse sighed, “I brainwashed your messenger, if you must know. Forced him to co-operate with me. And now you’re defenseless and vulnerable.”

Before they could say anything, he flicked his hand, sending Feuilly crashing right into a bookcase. He hit the ground with a loud thud, several books toppling on top of him. Bahorel and Jehan immediately ran to his side. Jehan crouched beside his limp body, trying to wake him up, as Bahorel stood in front of both of them, fists at his side. There was a fierce determination in his eyes.

Montparnasse rolled his eyes and sent him crashing into the same bookcase. This time, the shelves broke and collapsed, hitting Bahorel, Feuilly and Jehan on the head. Enjolras watched, frozen in horror, as Montparnasse hurled Bossuet and Musichetta into a nearby table, shattering several glass vases. Combeferre kept his grip on Eponine, watching with unguarded shock as Courfeyrac bravely walked up to Montparnasse. He didn’t make it very far, as Montparnasse struck him with a bright white bolt of electricity, sending him crashing to the ground. 

“No!” Combeferre yelled.

He released Eponine and rushed to Courfeyrac’s side. Enjolras couldn’t see what was going on between them, because before he knew it, Eponine was violently attacking Montparnasse, and Joly was silently approaching the wounded. Montparnasse and Eponine swirled around as one, and catching his eye, Montparnasse threw Enjolras into the bookcase behind him. 

His world went dark.

~

“Enjolras, can you hear me?”

Enjolras opened his eyes, weakly looking at Joly, who was hunched over him, frowning in concern. He nodded and attempted to sit up, which only sent a sharp stab of pain through his head. He groaned and lay back down, a hand wrapped around his stomach.

“How are you feeling?” Joly asked.

“Awful,” Enjolras replied, voice hoarse.

“Yeah, you got a bad head injury. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I healed the wound, but it’ll still hurt for some time. Do you have a headache?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, well, that’s good, I guess. Definitely improvement.”

Enjolras rolled over to face him properly.

“What happened with Montparnasse?”

Joly grimaced, “He seemed satisfied with that he had done, so after you blacked out, he released Gavroche from his curse and left. The kid’s helping me with everyone.”

Enjolras nodded as best as he could and closed his eyes again. He steadied himself on whatever he was on and slowly sat up, planting his feet on the ground. It hurt like hell, but he had to get up at some point, and it was better now than never. Joly seemed pleased at the progress he made, so he lightly patted his shoulder and proceeded to check up on someone else. As soon as Joly was out of sight, he stood up and kept his hand out. He was slightly disoriented, and the room was rocking beneath his feet. He could spot what he thought was someone else in the room, so he tentatively made his way over to them. On a single air mattress, tucked underneath a thin blanket, where Combeferre and Courfeyrac. Courfeyrac was covered in smoking burns, and Combeferre’s head was gashed on the side. He frowned down at his friends, fighting back the urge to vomit. Suddenly, Gavroche appeared at his side, a solemn expression fixed on his face.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered.

Enjolras patted his shoulder, “It’s OK, it was all Montparnasse. He brainwashed you, you didn’t tell him willingly.”

Gavroche bowed his head, “That doesn’t excuse me from what I’ve done. Look at this, I caused it. Everyone’s hurt, and it’s all because I let Montparnasse use me like that.”

Enjolras shook his head, “It’s not your fault, Gav. It’s fine, really. Don’t blame yourself.”

Gavroche looked at the wall before sighing and walking away, leaving Enjolras alone in front of his friends. He took a seat in front of the mattress and waited for them to wake up.

~

A few days had passed, and the Coven were gathered in the studio. Several had casts or burns or stitches, but they all insisted on showing up. Enjolras himself had apparently broken his left wrist, so he had to walk around with a cast to please Joly. 

He entered the studio and smiled at his friends. He still had faith in them, even if it had been previously misplaced. 

“Does anyone have something urgent they want to say before we start the meeting?” He asked.

Combeferre nodded, “I think we should address last week’s incident. We weren’t prepared, and Montparnasse had the upper hand. Look what he did to us, and all because we placed our faith in spells and potions. I think we need help.”

Everyone murmured in agreement.

“What kind of help are we talking about?” Jehan asked hesitantly.

“Help from another witch. Someone powerful, who knows magic we don’t. Someone who can give us an actual chance to defeat Montparnasse.”

Eponine looked up, “A powerful witch, you say? I know just the person.”


	5. Chapter 5

“No.”

Eponine frowned at Grantaire. He shrugged and downed his drink.

“Sorry, Ep, I’m not going to help you.”

She crossed her arms, “Well, why not?”

“I don’t do covens, I told you. Sorry.”

“I don’t see a problem. You can even just give us advice-“

Grantaire held up a hand, “Eponine. No. I’m not going to do it.”

Eponine sighed and leaned back in the booth, swirling her drink around. She needed Grantaire’s help more than anything: he was their last (and only) hope. 

“You won’t even consider it?”

He shook his head, “There’s nothing to consider.”

Well, Eponine would just have to try again.

~

“Will you help me now? I gave you a day to think about it.”

Grantaire rolled his eyes, “No, I’m not going to help you.”

“Screw you.’

~

“What about now? I’ll stop bothering you if you just agree to help me!” Eponine tried.

“The answer is still no.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, pretty sure.”

~

Eponine hadn’t said a word the entire meeting, and Enjolras was worried. She always had something to say, but today she was dead silent. As the meeting neared an end, he turned to her.

“Eponine? How has your recruitment mission gone?”

Eponine looked up for the first time that meeting and sighed, “He doesn’t want to help.”

Enjolras frowned, “Why not?”

“The only reason he gave me was that ‘he didn’t do covens’, whatever that means.”

“Well, we need help, and urgently, so you need to get him on board.”

“Yeah, I’ll try again,” Eponine said absentmindedly.

Enjolras nodded fiercely.

“Good, because I’m not letting you give up.”

~

Enjolras came home on Tuesday to find Combeferre and Courfeyrac watching a movie, intimately close on the sofa. He sighed and shrugged his coat off.

“Did I interrupt date night again?”

Courfeyrac nodded enthusiastically just as Combeferre nonchalantly dismissed him with a flick of his hand. 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” He muttered.

He made his way to the kitchen to make some coffee, softly humming under his breath. Eponine had said she’d attempt to get Grantaire on board a few days ago, but he still didn’t have any news from her. What if she couldn’t get him to help? What would they do then? Would they have any chance of defeating Montparnasse?

He was afraid of the answer, and so he chose not to dwell on it.

~

Enjolras was drinking his coffee, reading a news article, when Combeferre came into his room, looking slightly dishevelled (he chose not to comment on that). 

“I have news from Eponine,” He said.

Enjolras raised an eyebrow, “Has she talked to him?”

“Actually, no, she’s on her way to meet with him.”

“Only now?”

“I’m sure she’s tried before, she just didn’t bother to let us know.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

Combeferre rolled his eyes, “Give her a chance, Enjolras. Eponine’s probably having a hard time dealing with what Montparnasse did to Gavroche.”

Enjolras sighed and leaned back in his chair, watching Combeferre disappear into the hallway. He knew Eponine was going through tough times, but she still had to help the Coven. They were depending on her success right now, and how was she to succeed if she wouldn’t bother trying?

All he could do was hope that it would go well.

~

Eponine walked into The Corinth, spotting Grantaire at his usual booth, nursing a half-empty wine glass. She sat down across from him and sighed.

“You here to try and recruit me again?” He asked.

“The only reason I keep coming here is because the leader of my coven thinks you can help us. He keeps sending me back.”

Grantaire raised an eyebrow, “And you don’t think I can?”

Eponine scoffed, “Please, your magic isn’t nearly strong enough.”

Grantaire narrowed his eyes, “Say that again?”

“I don’t think you can do it.”

Grantaire fisted a hand in the collar of her jacket, leaning across the table, blue eyes glowing fiercely.

“Watch me,” He whispered.

Eponine smiled smugly as he released her.

“So that’s a yes?” She asked.

Grantaire groaned, “Oh, what did I do? I just agreed to help you, didn’t I?”

She nodded, “Yup. I’m going to let my coven know.”

Eponine to Coven des Amis [20:34 pm]: he said yes

Grantaire shook his head, but he was smiling softly nonetheless.

“Thank you, R. It really means a lot to me,” Eponine said.

“Your welcome. But just so you know, I do have conditions.”

“Like?”

“The minute I finish helping you, I cut ties with you guys. All of you. We never speak again, meet up again, none of that. I help you, we part ways. Understood?”

Eponine looked down and nodded, “Understood.”

Grantaire leaned back in his booth, “Good, then I’m ready to help you.”

~

Enjolras almost fell off of his chair when his phone vibrated with a new message.

Eponine to Coven des Amis [20:34 pm]: he said yes

“Yes!” He said to the empty room.

He quickly sent back a response.

Enjolras to Coven des Amis [20:35 pm]: Thank you! Can you bring him to our meeting tomorrow?

As he waited for Eponine’s reply, he scrolled through the other responses she had received.

Bahorel to Coven des Amis [20:34 pm]: congrats bro

Feuilly to Coven des Amis [20:36 pm]: what did I miss I was at work someone fill me in

Courfeyrac to Coven des Amis [20:36 pm]: AWESOME. And, Fuel-e, Ep got her friend to help us. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3            ;) ;) ;P ;D

Combeferre to Coven des Amis [20:36 pm]: Good job.

Marius to Coven des Amis [20:36 pm]: go Eponine!!! <3 you’re the best, bestie 

Cosette to Coven des Amis [20:37 pm]: you go girl

Jehan to Coven des Amis [20:37 pm]: CELEBRATORY AMETHYST POTION FOR EPONINE

Joly to Coven des Amis [20:38 pm]: Chetta and Bossuet both say yay and so do I.

Eponine to Coven des Amis [20:38 pm]: he’s coming to the meeting with me tomorrow so be on your best behaviour boys

Enjolras smiled to himself. Now that they had Grantaire, whoever he was, on their side, they might actually stand a chance against Montparnasse. That is, if he was as powerful a witch as Eponine made him out to be. And if not…well, he shouldn’t be thinking about such things.

~

Tomorrow came much too fast for Enjolras’ liking, and he soon found himself pacing back and forth in the bookstore, surrounded by the other members of the Coven. They were waiting for Eponine and Grantaire, and then they could finally begin the meeting.

The door opened, and Enjolras looked up, eyes focused on the two people who had just entered the building. One was Eponine, rosette pinned to the front of her jacket, and the other was a man about Enjolras’ age, with inky curls and vibrant, surreal blue eyes. He was wearing a paint-stained green hoodie, pale skinny jeans and shiny combat boots. His wrists were adorned with a collection of bracelets, and he wore an aventurine pendant. 

“Guys, this is Grantaire,” Eponine said.

“Hi,” Grantaire said, smiling a little.

Courfeyrac’s eyes went wide and he grinned, “So this is the all-powerful witch Eponine keeps talking about. Welcome to Coven des Amis.”

“Eponine keeps talking about me?” 

Eponine snorted and rolled her eyes, pushing past him. 

“I do not,” She retorted quietly.

Grantaire fondly rolled his eyes at her, and then looked around at the group. 

“Who’s the leader here?”

Enjolras raised his hand, “That would be me. Hi, I’m Enjolras, it’s good to finally meet you.”

“Yeah, you too.”

Eponine cleared her throat, “Umm, Enjolras, can I talk to you for a second?”

Enjolras frowned but nodded anyways, following Eponine into the storage room. She leaned against the closed door and stared at him for a while, not saying anything. 

“You wanted to talk?” Enjolras asked, annoyed.

Eponine took a deep breath, “Grantaire has conditions.”

“Conditions.”

“Yeah. Umm, well, he said he’ll help us, as long as when he’s done his part, he immediately cuts ties with all of us.”

“That’s it?”

Eponine nodded, “Yeah, but that’s a pretty big condition. I mean, I just saw him after twelve years, and now I have to lose him again?”

“I’m sorry, Ep, but you have to understand that we really need his help, and if this is the only way he’ll agree, then let it be.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Eponine snapped.

She briskly walked out of the room, leaving Enjolras behind. He felt really bad that Eponine had to lose her friend again, but they had no other choice. He was their last hope, and Eponine had to understand that it was for the greater good.

~

“What have you tried so far? To defeat Montparnasse?” Grantaire asked.

Enjolras cleared his throat, “Well, we originally came up with a few defense plans, because we thought that we’d have a better chance of getting to him if we could defend ourselves from his magic. A few days ago, we all took the Ivory Potion, as well as cast some defense and protection spells. They didn’t work, as you can probably tell.”

Grantaire laughed, “Of course it wouldn’t have worked. What are you, stupid? The Ivory Potion will help you against a fly, or a steak, not a witch such as Montparnasse. It can’t even help you against a puppy, so you tried it against your enemy?”

Enjolras tensed, “How would you know that, exactly?”

Grantaire rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie, revealing a long, jagged scar on his forearm. He looked up at Enjolras.

“Let’s just call it an accident.”

“Well, if the Ivory Potion is as awful as you say it is, what could we have done instead?”

Grantaire shrugged, “I don’t know, I’m not a fortune teller. All I can tell you is that you made some really crap decisions, and your magic isn’t powerful enough to get to Montparnasse.”

“My magic isn’t powerful enough? What does that mean?” Enjolras narrowed his eyes.

“It means you guys are a considerably low-level coven, and to get to Montparnasse, you’ll need to upgrade your powers. I suggest you get new spell books, the ones you have here are outdated.”

“It isn’t your place to tell us whether or not we’re powerful enough, we just need your help. You help us, that’s it, you don’t get a say in anything else that goes on around here. And we’re not getting new spell books.”

Grantaire rolled his eyes, “Whatever you say, leader. I’m going to go research for something that’s actually useful.”

Enjolras watched him head up to the loft, tossing half of the bookcase onto the window seat. Grantaire was so annoying, why couldn’t Eponine have other all-powerful witch friends?

“I’m going to go check on him. That accident stirs up bad memories,” Eponine said quietly.

She silently headed up to the loft, but crashed right into a force field. Enjolras couldn’t make out what she was saying, but he knew she was yelling. Grantaire paid her no mind, flipping through spell book after spell book and discarding them in an unorganized pile on the floor. After a few minutes, Eponine gave up and stormed downstairs, frowning.

“What was that all about?” Jehan asked.

“He put up another stupid force field,” Eponine muttered.

“Another?” Combeferre wondered.

“He used to do that all the time when we were kids, if he wanted to be alone,” Eponine explained.

“Then leave him alone,” Enjolras muttered.

Eponine rolled her eyes, “Wow, thank you, Mr. Obvious. I’ll be in the studio if anyone wants me.”

With that, she stalked off, slamming the studio door shut behind her. Enjolras took a seat on one of their couches, looking up with curiosity at Grantaire. The man was sitting on the window seat, leaning against the glass, leafing through a spell book, eyes concentrated on the pages in front of him. For the first time that evening, Enjolras noticed the tattoos on his arms and disappearing beneath his shirt, and he quickly looked away. 

He fell asleep on the couch waiting for Grantaire to finish whatever it was he was doing.

~

A week had passed, and Enjolras was starting to doubt Grantaire’s abilities. The man spent nearly all day in the loft, flipping through all the spell books they had up there, and he still hadn’t come up with anything that could help them.

“I think we should start looking for other options,” Enjolras said one day.

Eponine looked up from her laptop, “Other options?”

“Yeah, Grantaire hasn’t done anything yet. We should find other options in case-“

Eponine glared at him, “You doubt Grantaire, don’t you?”

“No…?”

“Yeah, you obviously do. Don’t worry, Enjolras, he’s just doing his research. It’ll all be over soon.”

Enjolras shook his head, “Fine, I’ll give him a chance.”

“You won’t regret it.”

~

Enjolras was sorting herbs in the bookstore when he heard Grantaire fall off of the window seat.

“You OK?” He called up.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine!” Came the breathless reply.

Enjolras frowned as Grantaire ran down the stairs, a spell book open in his hands. He went up to the table where the Coven was gathered and slammed the book down. He looked like a mess, which Enjolras found indecent and annoying.

“What is it?” Eponine asked.

“I think I found a way to defeat Montparnasse.”

Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and looked at him expectantly.

“Well?” Bahorel asked.

“We can strip his powers.”

Enjolras stared at Grantaire, mouth slightly open. Was he insane? Stripping someone’s powers took a ton of bad magic, expensive ingredients and time. They had none of the above.

“You have to be really crazy to try something like that,” Courfeyrac warned.

Grantaire looked up at them, smirking. There was a strange gleam in his eyes, one Enjolras found himself afraid of. He backed away from the table.

“Luckily for you, I think I’m crazy enough.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that I took so long to update! I was so busy lately, and I had my b-day (amongst other things). Plus, the Olympics opening ceremony was really long and I spend a lot of my time watching it now. Anyways, this chapter is a bit longer than usual, so I hope it satisfies. The mysteries will all be uncovered soon, I promise. Enjoy!

“I don’t think you know this, but you have, like, an entire shelf of dark magic and necromancy spell books up in the loft-“ Grantaire began.

 

Enjolras glared at Marius, “I thought I told you to burn all those books?”

 

Marius didn’t reply.

 

“As I was saying,’ Grantaire continued, eyes narrowed at Enjolras. ‘I found two relatively safe ways to strip Montparnasse’s powers: we can use a potion, or we can use a scythe. I would say we should use a scythe, but it has way more risks, plus they’re more expensive and not guaranteed to work as well.”

 

“So we’re making a potion? And that’s going to help us?” Courfeyrac clarified.

 

“ _I’m_ making a potion and, yes, it’s going to help you. The only downside is that it’s going to take weeks to make.”

 

“We don’t have weeks,” Enjolras grumbled.

 

“Do you want my help or not?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Grantaire smiled, “Then we have weeks.”

 

Enjolras rolled his eyes, “What do you need for the potion?”

 

“I don’t know, I didn’t look at the ingredients list.”

 

_He’s so useless_ , Enjolras thought.

 

“Fine, if you need anything, let us know and we’ll let you check our inventory,” He muttered angrily.

 

He turned heel and stalked off, half-listening as Grantaire continued to explain the plan to the rest of the Coven.

 

The plan was risky, and completely against their morale, but at least they _had_ a plan.

 

~

 

“Do you know if they have any crushed jade?”

 

Enjolras rolled his eyes, “No, I’ve never been here before.”

 

Grantaire ignored him and continued walking down the aisles, pausing every once in a while to inspect certain objects.

 

Enjolras crossed his arms and sighed, “I still don’t see why we need to go to a store to get the ingredients, we have a ton back at the bookstore.”

 

Grantaire turned around to face him, “Your ingredients aren’t fresh enough. It’s about time you resupply.”

 

Enjolras frowned, but kept all his remarks to himself. Grantaire lead him through the entire shop, which, for a Wiccan supply store, was overly crowded. They almost lost each other several times, but that didn’t seem to stop him. Enjolras followed Grantaire as he went through the store, picking up little bottles and jars and bags and whatnot along the way, dumping them inside the shopping cart Enjolras had made him take.

 

“Tourmaline. Do you see any tourmaline?” Grantaire asked suddenly.

 

Enjolras shook his head, “No, I wasn’t exactly looking.”

 

“Of course you weren’t. Well, if you spot any, let me know.”

 

Without another word, he continued strolling down the aisle they were currently in. Enjolras didn’t even bother looking for tourmaline. Grantaire had been rude to him ever since they first met, so if he wanted tourmaline, he could look for it himself.

 

~

 

Their shopping trip lasted much longer than Enjolras had expected, because Grantaire had insisted that they visit every single Wiccan supply store in the area to find crushed jade.

 

They didn’t find any.

 

“That’s cool,’ Grantaire said, loading their groceries into Enjolras’ car. ‘I might have some, and we can use that. It’s not ideal, but it’ll do, I guess.”

 

Enjolras crossed his arms, “Unbelievable. You make us go through every damn store and then say you might have some at home.”

 

“By might, I mean I’m 110% certain.”

 

“You’re unbelievable.”

 

“I’m wild. Come on, we should get to my place before dark.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Scary things happen.”

 

“Have I told you that you’re unbelievable?”

 

“Only three times.”

 

Enjolras rolled his eyes and got into his car. Why had he ever agreed to let Grantaire help them?

 

~

 

Grantaire’s apartment was not what Enjolras had imagined. He had imagined a creepy building in a shady neighbourhood and a messy, tiny, rat-hole of an apartment that probably had dead bodies in the walls. Instead, it was a rather nice building in a quaint, nice neighbourhood. And the apartment was…well…organized.

 

“Welcome to the crappy apartment I call home, which also serves as a storage room, laboratory, science lab and anything else.”

 

Enjolras took a moment to examine it. The couch was covered in mismatched pillows and blankets, and the entire room was filled with art supplies, easels, canvases, books and whatnot. The windowsills were covered in plants, and some were hanging from the ceiling as well. There was an entire bookcase of potions and ingredients. It looked like your typical witch’s lair. Except that it was an apartment.

 

“How do you know where anything is located?” Enjolras asked.

 

Grantaire shrugged, “I just know. Let me get the jade.”

 

He walked over to the potion-covered bookcase and started looking through the labels on the glass vials.

 

“You can sit down, you know. You don’t have to stand,” Grantaire said suddenly.

 

Enjolras nodded and sat down on the armchair, watching Grantaire look for the crushed jade. His shirt rode up a bit, and Enjolras quickly averted his gaze to the huge, leather-bound spell book on the coffee table in front of him. He picked it up and started leafing through it.

 

_Animancy versus Necromancy: A Student’s Guide_

_Practicing the Art of Necromancy_

_Necromancy 101: Potions, Curses, Spells and Charms_

“You practice necromancy?” Enjolras asked.

 

Of course he did. He shouldn’t have expected anything better.

 

Grantaire shook his head, “I study necromancy, yes, but I don’t practice it. Not yet, anyways.”

 

“Necromancy is dark magic. It’s…you shouldn’t…it’s bad.”

 

“I know, but it never hurt anyone to have a bit of knowledge on the subject, did it?”

 

Enjolras didn’t say anything.

 

“Exactly. I’m just studying it, that’s all.”

 

Enjolras turned his attention back to the spell book, when he suddenly felt something warm, fuzzy and vibrating against his leg. He looked down and, lo and behold, there was a cat. A creepy, gold-eyed black cat who was currently purring like an engine.

 

“Umm.”

 

“Oh, sorry about that. This is Catiline, my cliché sidekick. He doesn’t bite, don’t worry. Unless you’re a vampire.”

 

Enjolras looked from the cat to Grantaire, “A vampire?”

 

“Never mind. You didn’t hear anything.”

 

“Ok….?”

 

“I should go back to getting that jade.”

 

“You still haven’t found it?”

 

“Nope.”

 

Enjolras sighed and picked Catiline up, stroking his soft fur.

 

“Why did you name him Catiline?”

 

“It’s a pun,’ Grantaire turned around. ‘Get it? CATiline? It has ‘cat’ in the name?”

 

“I can pretend I get it, if you want.”

 

Grantaire sighed, “Never mind. Catiline was also a politician in ancient Rome, and there was this whole thing going on in 63 BCE called the ‘Catiline Conspiracy’. I’m big on Classics.”

 

“So your cat’s a pun, then?”

 

“Not originally. I was going to call him Indigo, but then I thought that Catiline would be a much more suitable name.”

 

“How did you get him?”

 

Grantaire paused what he was doing, and Enjolras noticed his eyes went dark. Catiline meowed, and he let him go. Grantaire turned to face him.

 

“Same way I got this apartment,” He said.

 

“And how was that?”

 

“A few years ago, I knew this girl, Floreal, and we were good friends. She was part of my coven back then, but she had to leave for a family emergency at some point. Anyways, she moved back to Paris and got this apartment. She adopted a dozen stray cats, and Catiline was the only one left here when I arrived a few months ago. Poor thing was starving and nameless, so I took him in.”

 

“What…what happened to Floreal?”

 

“She was murdered. By a witch who practiced necromancy, so I was told. She left her apartment to me in her will, so I came back.”

 

“So why are you studying necromancy, if someone who practiced it killed your friend?”

 

“So that when I meet a necromancer, I can kill them. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as they say.”

 

“And what about the coven you mentioned? What happened to them?”

 

“That’s a different story for a different time. Come on, I have the jade, we can go.”

 

“Go where?”

 

Grantaire opened the door and waited for Enjolras to follow him. Enjolras slowly got up, and once he was outside of the apartment, Grantaire grabbed his hand and led him towards the fire exit.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“You’ll see.”

 

Enjolras let Grantaire guide him through the dark stairwell, completely unaware of what floor he was on or where his destination was, until they reached a door.

 

“This is it,” Grantaire said.

 

“A door. You took me to a door.”

 

“No, you idiot. It’s what’s behind the door I took you to.”

 

Before Enjolras could respond, Grantaire unlocked the door and held it open. He was completely illuminated in moonlight, and behind him was a beautiful garden. Enjolras realized they were on the roof of the building. He tentatively stepped out.

 

“Is this yours?” He asked.

 

Grantaire nodded, “Yeah, I guess you could say that. I grow a bunch of my herbs here, and it gets really nice out at night.”

 

“I can actually see the stars.”

 

“Exactly my point.”

 

“So what are we doing here?”

 

Enjolras examined a plant with white berries hanging above the doorway. It looked familiar, and he felt a weird, fuzzy feeling as he realized what it was and looked at Grantaire.

 

“Is that…?” He began.

 

“Mistletoe,’ Grantaire confirmed, stepping out to look at it beside Enjolras. ‘It’s good for more than just kissing under.”

 

Enjolras didn’t know why, but that made him feel nervous and…crap. No. He was not going to let that happen.

 

Grantaire reached up, and Enjolras averted his gaze when his shirt rode up a bit. He plucked one of the small white berries and, smirking, popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Enjolras stared at him.

 

“Isn’t that poisonous?”

 

Grantaire shrugged, “I guess, but I’ve developed an immunity over the years. It has wonderful benefits, might I add.”

 

“How did you develop an immunity?”

 

Grantaire’s eyes darkened, “Some questions are better left unanswered.”

 

Enjolras was beginning to understand that there was probably something sinister in his past, and maybe he shouldn’t try to discover what it was. Grantaire pushed past him, further into the garden, where something was emitting a strange blue glow. Enjolras decided to follow him, where he found a wooden bench covered in flowers and vines. In front of him was Grantaire, appearing angelic as he was washed in the blue glow. Which was coming from a bright blue, glowing stag.

 

Enjolras couldn’t find it in himself to deny that the stag was actually glowing. He’d seen too much weird things already for this not to bother him.

 

And Grantaire looked breathtakingly beautiful like this, crouched by the stag, feeding him something, washed in blue light. Which was concerning.

 

“Artemis’ Stag,” Grantaire explained.

 

He got up and sat down beside Enjolras, running a hand through his hair. Enjolras couldn’t take his eyes off of the stag.

 

“How come I didn’t see him before?” Enjolras asked, voice barely above a whisper.

 

“He appears whenever he wants to, this one. Whenever he deems right, I guess.”

 

“But then how did you know he was there?”

 

Grantaire looked at him curiously, “There are some things I can’t, and shouldn’t, explain.”

 

“OK, then. How did he even come to your possession?”

 

“That’s another thing that I can’t tell you yet.”

 

Enjolras perked up, “You mean, you’ll explain everything?”

 

“All in due time.”

 

Enjolras didn’t ask any more questions.

 

~

 

Over the course of the next week, Enjolras visited Grantaire often to supervise his work. He had insisted that someone needed to be there to see how it was progressing, and of course he had volunteered to fill the position, even though Eponine had insisted several times that she could do it. Enjolras just really liked seeing Grantaire work on the potion, or any magic at all, because he was adorable when he was concentrating on something. Not that anyone really needed to know that.

 

As time passed on, Enjolras became aware that there were more secrets in Grantaire’s past than spells in a book, and he learned that it was best not to ask him anything related to himself, his past or the things around him. It was just a generally good idea to stay away from asking Grantaire questions.

 

But somehow, every new layer of mystery that was added made Enjolras fall a little bit more in love with him. He had never really liked mysteries- but, then again, they were all mysteries he could easily solve. This one, however, would solve itself in its own time, and Enjolras would have to be patient for it to do so. Except patience wasn’t exactly his forte, and he ended up unleashing his frustration on unsuspecting, innocent strangers more often than not.

 

Sometimes he wondered if anything Grantaire told him was true. But, like every other time, he didn’t dare ask.

 

~

 

“Here, try this.”

 

Grantaire thrust a tiny glass vial filled with a deep pink liquid in Enjolras’ face. He was working on boiling and dissolving orchids, another one of the weird things the potion called for. Enjolras put down the biography he was reading and took the vial from his hand. The liquid smelled grossly sweet, like someone had taken Marius and Cosette’s relationship and liquefied it.

 

“What is this?” He asked, wrinkling his nose.

 

Grantaire noisily flipped the page of the spell book, “Love potion. Crafted by the one and only.”

 

“You made a love potion and now you’re giving it to me. Why.”

 

“I need to see how it turned out. It’s a new recipe I wanted to try out.”

 

“It smells like Marius and Cosette’s relationship.”

 

“Shocking, considering it’s a love potion,” Grantaire said sarcastically.

 

“And why me?”

 

“Because you’re here, and you’re doing nothing important.”

 

“I’m reading something for one of my courses.”

 

“It can wait.”

 

Enjolras sighed. There was no way out of this, was there? Tentatively, he lifted the vial to his lips and looked over the rim at Grantaire, who was watching him with unadulterated fascination. He gave a small nod of approval, and Enjolras closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and drank the potion.

 

And immediately started choking.

 

He set the vial down, hand against his chest, violently coughing. It tasted like…rat poop, if he was to be honest. The aftertaste was even worse, like a fly had died in bad toothpaste mixed with something rotten. It wasn’t good. He had expected it to taste sweet, like how it smelled, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

 

And the worst part was that Grantaire didn’t even look the slightest bit concerned.

 

“Well?” He asked.

 

“It tasted…awful. Like rat poop. And I don’t even know why it made me start coughing, I didn’t choke on it or anything.”

 

Grantaire still didn’t look concerned, and Enjolras frowned. He was choking on a disgusting love potion, shouldn’t this be concerning?

 

“What?” He asked, throat sore.

 

“If a love potion tastes gross, and you start coughing after drinking it…that means you’re already in love with someone, so it won’t work.”

 

Enjolras felt sick. He wanted to go throw up.  He couldn’t be in love. No. This wasn’t happening. Love was…love was not his forte. He wasn’t in love. The potion was obviously wrong.

 

“Well…what if…what if it’s wrong? And I’m just having an allergic reaction?”

 

Grantaire rolled his eyes, “Firstly, there’s nothing in this potion that you could possibly have an allergic reaction to, and secondly, love potions never lie.”

 

The sick feeling got worse, and he frowned at the empty vial as Grantaire got back to what he was doing before. This couldn’t be happening. Not to him. Why did he have to be in love? Why love, above all things?

 

He already had an idea who the potion might be referring to. He was so screwed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cough Grantaire cough*
> 
> Hopefully I'll update more frequently, because I feel the gap between the last chapter and this one is way too big.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting better at updating more frequently. Here's another chapter for you. Enjoy!

“I have good news this time,” Grantaire said in lieu of a greeting.

                            

He gently closed the door behind him and made his way over to the table where the Coven had gathered. Enjolras still wasn’t used to the fact that Grantaire would show up in meetings without the rosette. He still found it strange that Grantaire persisted to alienate himself from the group, in more ways than not wearing the rosette. He worked on the potion in his apartment, for one, when he could easily work on it at the bookshop. They had the resources, so it just didn’t make sense. But, then again, nothing about Grantaire really did.

 

“What good news?” Eponine asked.

 

“The potion is 40% done.”

 

Everyone clapped, because this was good progress, but Enjolras only rolled his eyes and shook his head.

 

“Two and a half weeks and all you have is a 40% done potion. How long is this going to take?”

 

“According to my calculations,’ Grantaire paused to check his phone. ‘A few more weeks. Like, closer to a month.”

 

“Ugh,” Enjolras groaned.

 

“It’s fine, we can work with that,” Combeferre reassured.

 

Always the voice of reason they needed.

 

“I’m sorry that it’s going to take so long, but I don’t think you guys have another option.”

 

Enjolras sighed, “No, it’s fine, forget it. We’ll deal with Montparnasse until it’s ready. Do you have anything else to tell us?”

 

Grantaire shook his head, “No, that’s all I came for. I have to get back to the potion.”

 

He turned to leave, pausing at the door for a brief moment to wave at them, before disappearing onto the street.

 

“Stop staring,” Courfeyrac whispered.

 

“I’m not staring,” Enjolras retorted.

 

“You _were_ staring.”

 

“I was not.”

 

“Even though, I have to agree with you, those jeans do wonders.”

 

Enjolras blushed a bright red, “Can you not?”

 

Courfeyrac smiled dopily, “Nope.”

 

Enjolras sighed and turned his attention back to the rest of the Coven. For a split second, he wondered what would happen if they didn’t manage to defeat Montparnasse, but it tugged at his heart, so he brought himself back to reality. They would defeat Montparnasse, they had Grantaire now, and he was working extra hard to make a potion for them that would do the job. But if the potion didn’t work…he couldn’t afford to think like that. So he didn’t.

 

“Let’s start this meeting.”

 

~

 

It was one in the morning, and Enjolras was standing outside Grantaire’s apartment. In his embarrassing duck pajamas. And all because he had just woken up from a horrible nightmare where the potion didn’t work.

 

A few seconds later, Grantaire opened the door.

 

He looked like he had just woken up, and his hair was an absolute mess, but Enjolras preferred it that way. It was wilder, and wild suited him. And then he realized that he had obviously been asleep until now, because he was only wearing a loose t-shirt and boxers.

 

“Enj? Come in.”

 

His voice really, really shouldn’t be doing the things it was doing to him. Enjolras nodded and stepped inside, watching as Grantaire closed the door behind him. He sat down on the couch and gestured for Enjolras to join him.

 

“Do you want to tell me what you’re doing at my apartment at one in the morning?”

 

“I had a nightmare,” Enjolras replied quietly.

 

Grantaire took his hand in his own and looked directly at Enjolras, blue eyes filled with genuine, pure concern. God, the things this boy did to him.

 

“What kind of nightmare?” Grantaire asked gently.

 

Enjolras wanted to cry. He was so pathetic and weak- going to him at one in the morning, when he was obviously sleeping, just because of a stupid nightmare.

 

“I…I don’t remember it. All I remember is that…that the potion…”

 

“The potion what?”

 

“It didn’t work.”

 

“Oh, Enj. The potion will work, don’t worry. I know you’re nervous, and scared, but trust me, it’s going to work. You need to trust me.”

 

Enjolras nodded and rested his head on Grantaire’s shoulder, sniffling into his shirt. He was scared, oh he was so scared. He had seen the kinds of things Montparnasse could do, and he didn’t really want to be at the receiving end. Grantaire started stroking his hair, and it was oddly calming. He almost forgot how embarrassing his pajamas were.

 

“Come with me,” Grantaire said suddenly.

 

He held his hand out for Enjolras, and helped him up, before slipping on a pair of cat slippers. He then proceeded to lead them both out of the apartment and upstairs, even though it was dark and Enjolras was positive he’d hit a wall or something.

 

Instead of hitting a wall, Grantaire took him all the way to the beautiful rooftop garden, which looked even more breathtaking now that the moon was full. And so did Grantaire. Enjolras was seriously screwed, but he couldn’t care less.

 

“The stag is here, but he does not want to show himself tonight. I’ll try and coax him into it, give you a light show.”

 

Enjolras smiled, “Thank you. You really didn’t have to do this, you know.”

 

“Do what?”

 

“Helping me. Staying up with me.”

 

“Enjolras,’ Grantaire sighed. ‘I want to.”

 

“Oh…OK.”

 

Grantaire wrapped an arm around his shoulders and guided him over to the bench Enjolras had grown to know so well. The stag must have been there, because Grantaire kept reaching out and stroking thin air. The most they got out of him was a flicker of mythical blue light, and then Grantaire stopped disturbing him. Enjolras found that he quite liked sitting against Grantaire in the cool night air, surrounded by a serene sort of silence and beautiful, mystical plants.

 

At some point, Grantaire picked something from one of the bushes beside him and handed it to Enjolras.

 

“Here, eat this.”

 

“Why?” Enjolras yawned.

 

“It’s a sleep-inducing plant, said to be created by Hypnos himself. Of course, that’s all just a myth, but it still works when you need it to. A single leaf should work, I think. Just eat it, it’ll do you good.”

 

“But-“

 

Enjolras stopped talking as soon as Grantaire placed the leaf in his hand. He looked up at him with wide eyes. Grantaire smiled warmly and placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

“If you’re scared about getting nightmares again, just remember that I’m here for you, Enj. I’m here if you need me, and even if you don’t.”

 

Enjolras didn’t need anything more than that the moment. Without another hesitation, he slowly ate the leaf, even if it tasted like sweaty socks. He could feel sleep taking hold of him, so he gently lay his head on Grantaire’s lap, smiling to himself as he felt a familiar hand play with his hair.

 

The last thing he heard before he fell asleep was Grantaire telling him he liked his pajamas.

 

~

 

When he woke up the next morning, he found himself cocooned in soft, mismatched blankets on a large, comfortable bed. He rolled over and squinted, suddenly faced with a burst of sunlight streaming in through the window. He sat up and examined the room he was in. There was a guitar in one corner, resting on a paint-covered stool. Then there was the closet, which was also covered in splattered paint. There were paintings and canvases everywhere, and dreamcatchers hanging in every available section of the room. Enjolras noticed an ebony writing desk covered in paints, brushes, papers, journals and pens. There was a silver plant on the windowsill.

 

He knew he was in Grantaire’s bedroom, but he didn’t really know why.

 

He crawled back underneath the blankets and closed his eyes again, enjoying the peace and quiet, when suddenly the door opened. Grantaire came in with a tray in his hands.

 

“Good morning. I see the spell of Hypnos has worn off.”

 

Enjolras sat up, “Yeah, I guess. Thank you, for everything. You really didn’t have to.”

 

Grantaire handed him the tray and put his hands in his pockets- something Enjolras noticed he did when he was nervous.

 

He shrugged, “I wanted to. After a while I was getting tired up there, and it was getting a bit colder, so I brought you down here and fell asleep on the couch. Woke up an hour ago.”

 

Enjolras looked down at the tray and smiled, “You made me breakfast?”

 

“In bed,” Grantaire added.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“No problem. Do you need clothing for today, or are you just going to wear your pajamas?”

 

Enjolras blushed, “Oh, umm, clothing would be nice, thanks.”

 

Grantaire placed a shirt and jeans beside him, and then sat down on the edge of the bed.

 

“You didn’t have any nightmares after you fell asleep, which is good. But, honestly, you have nothing to worry about. I’ll make sure the potion works, and if it doesn’t, I’ll make a new one.”

 

“We don’t have that much time to spare,” Enjolras sighed, taking a bite out of his croissant.

 

“Then it better work.”

 

~

 

Eponine knew she shouldn’t be out alone. She also knew that night time equalled bad things at the moment, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. She was on a mission. And Montparnasse was going to pay for everything he had done- including brainwashing Gavroche.

 

The shadows were, unsurprisingly, Eponine’s friends, and she easily blended with them against the wall. She closed her eyes, hearing the stirring of the shadows and the magical auras that passed by in her head.

 

She could feel Montparnasse’s violent, maniacal aura surge through her veins as he approached, and she opened her eyes, adjusting to the brightness from the nearby street lamp.

 

Montparnasse walked past her, and she leapt at him from the darkness, climbing onto his back. He quickly turned around, sending her crashing onto the ground. He walked up to her and grinned, fox-like, hands clasped behind his back.

 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Eponine Thenardier herself. What might a pretty lady like you be doing out in the dark, all alone?”

 

Eponine got up and grabbed his coat collar, lips curled in a snarl.

 

“Killing you,” She hissed.

 

She violently released Montparnasse and he stumbled backwards, almost hitting the street lamp.

 

“Don’t you know better than to mess with me?” He asked, voice soft.

 

Eponine wasn’t going to fall for that trick again. He raised a hand to stroke her face, and she caught his wrist in her hand and twisted until he landed on the ground, holding his wrist and wincing. So far, so good.

 

“You ruined my life, Parnasse. I think I should return the favour.”

 

Before Montparnasse could reply, Eponine hurled several glowing fireballs at him. He dodged all of them, save for one, which managed to scorch the sides of his coat. He hissed in pain and glared at Eponine.

 

“You’ll regret this.”

 

“Quite the contrary,’ Eponine remarked, dodging an attack. ‘I think I’ll enjoy it.”

 

She grabbed his collar and shoved him against a building, slamming him into the hard, cold exterior several times before throwing him onto the ground. Montparnasse was breathing hard, and as he tried to get up, he kept a hand on his side and the other out for support. Eponine smirked and kicked him down again, until he was sprawled out on the ground, groaning in pain.

 

Eponine crouched, so she’d be at his level.

 

“You know what, Parnasse?” She asked.

 

Montparnasse rolled over to face her, “What?”

 

Eponine punched his face, then got up and left. She was satisfied for now. But tomorrow, she’d be back.

 

~

 

It was beginning to snow outside, which was unfortunate, because Enjolras found himself spending most of his nights with Grantaire in the garden. The snow made everything even more beautiful and mystical, but it was also cold.

 

“Can’t you control the snow somehow?” Enjolras asked.

 

He was currently wrapped in approximately five blankets, his pajamas and a hoodie and he was still freezing. Grantaire shook his head, smiling softly, and he looked so gorgeous with snow in his hair. Enjolras was long gone over this man.

 

“Unfortunately not,’ Grantaire laughed. ‘That’s way beyond my skill level. But, here, I can do something else.”

 

He leaned forward a bit, and Enjolras clung to him for dear life because he had been using him as a pillow. Enjolras watched with curiosity as he clasped his hands together and breathed in them and then, with his eyes closed, lit a small fire on the ground in front of them. It was just a floating, glowing sphere of heat, but it warmed Enjolras nonetheless. He smiled.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“No problem.”

 

Enjolras fell asleep with the warmth of an artificial fire, surrounded by a snow-covered haven, and with Grantaire at his side.

 

~

 

As Enjolras was coming back from the Musain with hot cocoa for everyone (at Courfeyrac’s demand), he spotted Grantaire walking towards the bookstore.

 

“Hey, R! You coming for the meeting?” He called.

 

Grantaire ran up to him, and his nose was a little bit red from the cold. His hair was still peppered with snowflakes, even though he had put on a beanie today.

 

“Yeah, thought I’d update you guys again. What’s that?”

 

He gestured to the cardboard tray of hot cocoa.

 

“Hot cocoa. Do you want some?”

 

Grantaire sighed, “Yes, please.”

 

Enjolras handed him one of the cups, and for a brief moment, their fingers touched, but it probably didn’t mean anything. He took a sip from the hot cocoa, and then literally moaned, and that did things to Enjolras that it probably shouldn’t.

 

“Oh god, this stuff is heaven in a cup. I would kill for this.”

 

Enjolras smiled, “That good, huh?”

 

“More than that good. I want to have its babies.”

 

“Maybe I shouldn’t let you have any more.”

 

Grantaire held the hot cocoa close to his chest and frowned, “No, mine.”

 

Enjolras rolled his eyes and held the bookstore’s door open. He could hear the rest of the Coven mingling inside. He followed Grantaire inside, and started handing out hot cocoa to everyone.

 

“Peppermint?” Courfeyrac asked, taking a sip.

 

Enjolras nodded.

 

“Well, look what the cat picked up,” Jehan mused.

 

“I’ve got updates,” Grantaire said.

 

Eponine peered over the loft railing and, upon noticing Enjolras had returned with hot cocoa, she flew downstairs. Grantaire noticed the way she limped, and he approached her with a frown.

 

“Eponine? Are you okay?” He asked.

 

“I’m fine,” Eponine snapped.

 

It was clearly something she didn’t want to talk about, so he nodded and said nothing. However, he couldn’t help but think that Montparnasse had caused it.

 

“R? What updates?” Combeferre asked.

 

Grantaire turned around to face the Coven, “The potion is 50% done.”

 

“That’s good,” Enjolras smiled.

 

“Can you speed it up?” Eponine asked.

 

“Why?” Enjolras asked.

 

“Like you said before, we don’t exactly have a lot of time.”

 

“Ep, is there something you’re not telling us?” Grantaire asked.

 

Eponine glared at him, “No. You know what? Fine, don’t speed it up, I don’t care anymore.”

 

She pushed past everyone else and stalked out of the bookstore, slamming the door behind her.

 

“I’ll go find her,” Grantaire said.

 

He left the bookstore and, for once, Enjolras wondered what kinds of secrets she may be hiding.

 

~

 

“How did I know you would be here?”

 

Eponine looked up at Grantaire, who slid into the booth in front of her and smiled. She had gone to The Corinth to get a drink and clear her head, as she usually did when she was facing a crisis. But no one ever came looking for her.

 

“What do you want?” She grumbled.

 

“I want you to tell me what’s wrong.”

 

“Nothing’s wrong.”

 

Grantaire sighed, “Eponine, I know something’s wrong. I just want to help you.”

 

“I saw Montparnasse a few days ago.”

 

“And?”

 

“Beat him up.”

 

“Did he hurt you?”  


“Barely. I did most of the hurting, and it was to him. I just…I couldn’t let that…that _monster_ get away with what he did to Gav. He brainwashed my brother, R. He used him, and because of him a lot of us got hurt. And he thinks he can win me back after all that. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gone after him.”

 

“Are you kidding me? You did the right thing. You showed him that he shouldn’t mess with you. You avenged Gav. Just don’t get yourself hurt, OK?”

 

Eponine smiled, “I’ll try.”

 

“Good.”

 

“So, you and Enjolras, huh?”

 

“What about us?”

 

“You seem to be awfully close lately.”

 

“We’re just friends. Shut up.”

 

“U huh. We’ll see how long that statement lasts.”

 

Eponine got up and gestured towards the bar.

 

“I’m going to go get a drink, you want something?”

 

Grantaire rested his head on his arms and sighed, “Yes, please.”

 

As Eponine made her way to the bar, Grantaire couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, she was right.

 

~

 

Two more weeks passed, and the potion wasn’t nearing completion. Enjolras was beginning to worry, because every time he saw Grantaire, the man appeared more and more tired. It was obvious he wasn’t getting enough sleep, and how could he work on the potion effectively if he was half-asleep?

 

“You should get more sleep,” Enjolras commented one day.

 

He was curled up on Grantaire’s couch, watching him work on the potion. Grantaire dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

 

“I get enough,” He yawned.

 

“You obviously don’t. You’re tired all the time.”

 

“Potion making is tiring.”

 

“Suit yourself.”

 

Grantaire went back to what he had been doing, and Enjolras suddenly remembered the love potion. He’d been trying to convince himself that it was wrong for over a week now, but it was obviously right. He was in love with Grantaire, and there was nothing he could really do about it.

 

“Remember that love potion you gave me?” He asked suddenly.

 

Apparently, his brain had decided to stop functioning. Why now?

 

Grantaire made a noise that Enjolras took as a ‘yes’.

 

“I think I know who I’m in love with.”

 

“Oh, well, that’s good.”

 

Grantaire sounded sad, defeated…heartbroken. Why did he sound like that? Had Enjolras said something?

 

“Yeah, I guess it is,” He agreed quietly.

 

They didn’t talk much for the rest of the day.

 

~

 

It was one in the morning, and Enjolras was standing outside Grantaire’s apartment again.

In nothing but a t-shirt and boxers. Needless to say, he was freezing. He didn’t even bother knocking on the door- he just stood there. Because, for some reason, he knew that Grantaire wouldn’t be inside. Enjolras sighed and left, heading upstairs. Maybe some fresh air was all he needed right now.

 

The door was unlocked, which was weird, because it always was. Maybe someone was outside? He slowly stepped out into the cool night air, silently closing the door behind him. He looked up and smiled, lightly touching the mistletoe berries that hung over the doorway.

 

There was no mythical blue glow, just the moonlight. But that was fine, he knew his way around already.

 

He found Grantaire sitting cross-legged on the bench, playing with the pendant around his neck. He hadn’t changed into pajamas, and it was obvious he hadn’t exactly planned to go to sleep anytime soon. Enjolras sat down beside him. The bench was cold against his bare legs, but he would deal with it.

 

“Why are you here?” Grantaire asked, voice soft and heartbroken.

 

“You know, when I said earlier that I knew who I’m in love with, I was talking about you.”

 

Grantaire looked up at him, blue eyes expressionless. Enjolras used to be able to tell exactly what he was feeling through his eyes, but now they weren’t giving anything away.

 

They sat there, looking at each other, for a while, until Grantaire leaned forward and kissed him. It was soft, and slow, and chaste, but it was everything Enjolras wanted and needed. Grantaire’s hand settled on his waist, pulling him closer, but the kiss was still anything but intense. They slowly pulled back, now mere inches apart. Enjolras was breathless.

 

“That was really nice,” He whispered.

 

Grantaire smiled, “I’m glad you thought so. Come on, let’s go, it’s cold out here.”

 

Grantaire took his hand and led him out of the garden and back to his apartment.

 

“I’m just wondering,’ He said as they reached the bottom of the stairwell. ‘But why aren’t you wearing any pants?”

 

“I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t. I kept thinking about you.”

 

“Well, let’s fix that.”

 

Grantaire kissed Enjolras again as he led them into his apartment, but it was more passionate this time. Like weeks of pent up emotion pouring out into one kiss. And, well, Enjolras didn’t really feel like going to sleep anymore.

 

They closed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much left of this fic to go...that makes me sad...but, oh well. Don't ask me why Enjolras didn't bother putting pants on, but he put a shirt on. It worked in my mind.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, two chapters in one day! I'm on fire! Enjoy! :)

Enjolras woke up the next morning in a room he recognized, but knew wasn’t his. He examined it again: the guitar in the corner, the sunlight streaming through the window, the thousands of canvases scattered across the room. And Grantaire, sleeping peacefully beside him. His hair was an absolute mess, and Enjolras smiled to himself, recalling last night’s events. He snuggled closer, resting his head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat and feeling him breathe. It was calming, in an odd way, and he soon fell asleep again.

 

~

 

When Enjolras woke up an hour later, he found himself alone. He frowned and sat up. Just as he did so, Grantaire came into the room. He was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, and his hair was still dripping water all over the floor. The sight was unbearably hot.

 

“Good morning,” Grantaire said, leaning against the doorway.

 

“Morning. Where were you?”

 

“I was showering.”

 

“I missed that?”

 

“You were sleeping like a baby. Do you want coffee? Or breakfast?”

 

“How about both?” Enjolras suggested.

 

“Both works just fine. But get dressed first.”

 

“I don’t have clothing with me.”

 

“I’ll give you some.”

 

Grantaire threw a shirt and jeans at Enjolras and then left the room. Enjolras smiled to himself. This was going to be the start of something good.

 

~

 

Their friends weren’t surprised at all when they announced at the next meeting that they were officially dating.

 

“Wow, we never saw that coming,” Eponine said sarcastically.

 

“What does that mean?” Enjolras asked.

 

“Honey, we all knew it was going to happen before it actually did,” Jehan explained.

 

“That’s beyond creepy,” Grantaire said.

 

“Well, anyways, congrats are in order for sorting your crap and finally relieving all that crazy tension you two had,” Courf added.

 

“What tension?”

 

“You guys are oblivious idiots,” Eponine muttered.

 

“Can we just continue with the meeting?” Enjolras whined.

 

Combeferre nodded. Bless him. Enjolras needed to give this man an award.

 

Grantaire stood on a chair, attempting to make whatever he was going to say as dramatic as possible.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen,’ He began. ‘I am very pleased to announce that your power-stripping potion, courtesy of the one and only, will be ready in approximately…one week.”

 

The Coven erupted into cheers. They had been waiting nearly a month and a half for this potion, and getting news that it was reaching its final stages was relieving.

 

Finally, they had a chance to defeat Montparnasse.

 

~

 

Enjolras had another nightmare- his first one since he and Grantaire started dating. He woke up in the middle of the night, heart pounding, hands sweaty.

 

“Enj?”

 

Grantaire sat up. Enjolras immediately fell back on him, burying his face in his shoulder. He was so scared, and he didn’t even remember what had happened in the dream.

 

“Shh, you’re fine, I’m here. You’re safe, Enj. Did you have another nightmare?”

 

Grantaire started stroking his hair, and it was so soothing that Enjolras’ breathing soon returned to normal.

 

“Yes,” He replied, voice small.

 

“It’s OK, you’re OK. You have nothing to be afraid of. You’re safe, and I’m here. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, you know that, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What scared you?”

 

Enjolras frowned, “I…I don’t even remember. I just know it was scary, whatever it was.”

 

“Do you remember anything at all?”

 

“No…not really. Just emptiness.”

 

“Is there anything that’s scaring you? Or making you nervous at all?”

 

Enjolras took a deep breath, “I’m scared that the potion won’t work. That Montparnasse will do something to us before we can get to him, or that he’s using one of us again. I’m scared of the future, R. I don’t know what’s going to happen with him, or with any of us, and what if he gets to us before the potion’s ready?”

 

“Don’t think about those things. Think about how much you’ll be helping Eponine when you do defeat Montparnasse. Think about how much you’ll be helping your Coven in general.”

 

Enjolras looked up, “And then…and after we’re done, you’re going to leave us. Cut ties with us and…and never return, like you said you would. Your one condition for helping us. I don’t want you to leave, you can’t leave. I need you.”

 

Grantaire pressed a finger to his lips.

 

“Shh, don’t think about that. You can’t afford to think about that now. Can you do that for me? Stop thinking about that?”

 

“Y-yeah, I think so.”

 

“Good. Now go back to sleep, you need to rest.”

 

Enjolras let himself drift off to sleep, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Grantaire’s condition. Why had he gotten involved with someone he knew was going to leave him in the end? Well, maybe that’s because a part of him still hoped that he wouldn’t.

 

~

 

Eponine came into the bookstore the next day with several bruises, a cut on her cheek and a twisted ankle.

 

“What happened?” Grantaire asked, running over to her.

 

Enjolras wasn’t jealous. He wasn’t. Eponine was hurt, and Grantaire was just being a good friend. He wasn’t jealous.

 

“It’s Montparnasse,” Eponine said.

 

Her voice was weak and scratchy, and Grantaire helped her get to the table, where everyone was assembled. She silently thanked him as she took a seat.

 

“What about him?” Enjolras asked, setting down the spell book he was looking through.

 

Eponine took a deep breath, “He’s getting stronger. He attacked me last night, on my way home. He’s learned new magic…god, I think he’s practicing necromancy now or something. It’s bad, whatever he’s learned. I fear we really don’t have much time left.”

 

“I’ll try and finish the potion as quickly as I can,” Grantaire reassured her.

 

Enjolras nodded, “Until then, I want everyone to stay alert for signs of Montparnasse, or his friends. Make sure you have someone with you at all times. We can’t afford anyone else getting hurt.”

 

Everyone nodded, and a grave silence filled the air. Enjolras knew that Montparnasse would go after someone else next- probably Jehan, who appeared much weaker than he actually was. Or maybe Bossuet, because his bad luck would surely get him into trouble. Or maybe he’d go after Grantaire…no, that wouldn’t happen. And if it did, Enjolras knew that Grantaire would be able to take care of himself. But if Montparnasse was practicing necromancy…

 

_“You practice necromancy?” Enjolras asked._

_Of course he did. He shouldn’t have expected anything better._

_Grantaire shook his head, “I study necromancy, yes, but I don’t practice it. Not yet, anyways.”_

_“Necromancy is dark magic. It’s…you shouldn’t…it’s bad.”_

_“I know, but it never hurt anyone to have a bit of knowledge on the subject, did it?”_

 

_“So why are you studying necromancy, if someone who practiced it killed your friend?”_

_“So that when I meet a necromancer, I can kill them. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as they say.”_

As Grantaire had once told him, knowing necromancy might help him. Enjolras had nothing to worry about.

 

~

 

Enjolras was closing up the bookstore a few days later when he heard what sounded like a fight coming from the park in front. He finished locking the place up, then ran ahead to see what was going on. Sure enough, there was a fight.

 

Between Grantaire and Montparnasse.

 

He stood, frozen, by the street lamp in the park. Grantaire punched Montparnasse in the face, and he stumbled backwards a bit. Montparnasse slowly rose again and removed his hand from his face, breathing heavily. He stalked up to Grantaire and fisted a hand in the collar of his jacket.

 

Enjolras held his breath.

 

“You think you come here and own this town, don’t you?” Montparnasse spat.

 

Grantaire didn’t reply.

 

“Well, guess what? You don’t. I know why you’re scared of staying with your pathetic friends- I know what you did, and I know you’ll do it again.”

 

Grantaire struggled to break free, and Montparnasse punched him in the jaw. He roughly released him and stepped back, eyes glistening violently.

 

“I know your secrets, Grantaire. You can’t run from your past.”

 

And with that, he disappeared into the shadows. Enjolras ran up to Grantaire.

 

“Are you OK? Did he hurt you?”

 

Grantaire touched his lip and frowned when he saw blood staining his fingers. He shook his head, eyes downcast.

 

“I’m fine. Let’s go.”

 

“You’re _not_ fine, R! You’re bleeding.”

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

Enjolras grabbed his wrist, “What was Montparnasse talking about?”

 

“Nothing. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

 

“He obviously does. You can’t keep lying to me, hiding things from me. Tell me what it is you did. Tell me what Montparnasse was talking about.”

 

“And what if I don’t want to?” Grantaire grumbled.

 

“I don’t think there’s another option. You have to tell me.”

 

After a moment of silence, Grantaire sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He finally looked up at Enjolras.

 

“Fine, I’ll tell you. But only when we get to my apartment.”

 

“That works.”

 

He let Grantaire lead him away from the park, too scared to say anything. Montparnasse had definitely grown stronger since the last time they saw each other, and if he had attacked Grantaire like this, who knew what else he could do? Eponine had been right: they had no time to lose.

 

~

 

“It’s kind of a long story,” Grantaire said.

 

He sat down on the bed in front of Enjolras.

 

“What do you want to know first?”

 

Enjolras took his hand and traced the scar on his forearm with his fingers.

 

“I want to know what caused this,” He whispered.

 

Grantaire nodded, “When I was younger, and I still lived in Paris, there were some kids in my neighbourhood who were completely against magic. They were bullies and jerks and…and one day, they saw me revive a daisy in my mom’s garden. So they beat me up the next day at school. They were older than me by a few years, and it was during lunch. They cornered me behind the school, beat me up, and when they thought I had passed out, one of them took a knife and did this to me.”

 

“That’s awful.”

 

“I know. I didn’t tell anyone what had happened- except for Eponine, who practically coaxed it out of me.”

 

“And what did you do about the bullies?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Nothing? How could you do nothing?”

 

Grantaire shrugged, “I let fate do it all for me.”

 

“And what did fate do to them?”

 

“One got kidnapped and was never found, one got hit by a car, one drowned in a swimming pool and the other got rabies from his cat.”

 

“That’s…gruesome.”

 

“I know. What do you want to know next?”

 

“I want to know what Montparnasse was talking about, what happened to your previous coven, how you developed an immunity to mistletoe and why you have Artemis’ Stag.”

 

“Thankfully, that’s all pretty much one story.”

 

“Tell it to me.”

 

“I moved to Toulouse when I was ten, because my mom decided that Paris wasn’t safe enough for us anymore. When I was 14, my mom introduced me to this coven she belonged to. She said that being near other witches would do me well, so I joined.

 

“Everything was good, for a while. When I was 18, they were planning on bringing in a new witch. At the time, I was their chief…sort of like a second-in-command, you could say. Anyways, I overheard that they were planning on replacing me with the new witch, kicking me out of my position. I was mad. I was _so_ mad at them. At my mother. How could they do that to me? Kick me out like that?

 

“So I ran home and locked myself in my room, and didn’t talk to my mom for the rest of the day. Evening came around, and she left for the meeting without me. I was still really mad at everyone. I felt betrayed. So for hours on end, I’d think to myself, ‘oh, wouldn’t it be lovely if they all just burned right now’. And at some point, I realized that sitting around and wishing they’d all die wasn’t going to help me, so I decided to go try and make amends with them, see if they’d still let me in.”

 

~

 

_Grantaire had forgotten his jacket at home, but that didn’t matter. He’d get to their meeting place, out in the woods, and he’d apologize for running off the way he did, and they’d forgive him and maybe he could join the Coven again. Then they’d do their usual rituals, and they’d light a big fire and dance around it and eat and drink and be merry. And everything would be good again, the way it used to be._

_When Grantaire got to the forest, he did indeed find a fire. The trees were burned down, and the ground was black and dead. He could see bodies everywhere. And then he realized what had happened._

~

 

“You burned them,” Enjolras said quietly.

 

Grantaire nodded, “Apparently, when I wished for them to burn to death, it actually happened. I got to the forest, and everyone was dead. The Coven, the new witch, my mother. All gone, all dead, and all because I had been selfish enough to wish they were. I burned them all, I killed them all, Enjolras. You don’t know how it feels to know you’re a murderer, know that you killed more than a dozen innocent people because of selfishness.”

 

“I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t know that happened.”

 

“I didn’t want you to.”

 

“Continue telling the story, please.”

 

“All right. I was dealing with the aftermath of what I had done, just sitting there, wishing I hadn’t done what I had. But it was too late, and they were all definitely gone. Gone to a point where even animancy couldn’t bring them back.”

 

~

 

_Grantaire sat by the remains of his mother’s body, and he had been crying so much that tears wouldn’t come anymore. He was filled with grief, and guilt, because this was all his damn fault. If he hadn’t wished for them all to die, this wouldn’t have happened. If he had just controlled his anger, they’d still be alive and he’d still have his mother. But now they were all gone, just remnants of lives taken by selfishness. God, he hated himself now. Hated himself for killing all these people, for being selfish and unreasonable and stupid._

_He wished he had burned with them._

_It was getting dark out, and Grantaire knew there would be no point in bothering to return home. He had no home to return to, for it had all died here. His home was gone, his mother was gone, a part of his soul was gone. He decided to stay the night at the forest, and tomorrow morning he’d find a way to get back to Paris. At least he had Eponine there._

~

 

“And then what happened?” Enjolras asked, biting his lip.

 

“I mentioned that I forgot my jacket when I left, right?”

 

Enjolras nodded.

 

“Well, it was pretty cold out that night. It was winter, so of course it was. But anyways, I was just there, in the middle of the forest, freezing because I had forgotten my jacket. It got so cold that at some point I…”

 

“You what?”

 

Grantaire took a deep breath, “I died of hypothermia.”

 

“What?”

 

Enjolras’ mouth was open and his eyes were wide. Did Grantaire just say that he had died? Four years ago? No, this was insane. This was beyond impossible. Was he a ghost, then? A spirit destined to haunt Paris for all eternity? No, that didn’t seem right. H had probably misheard. Grantaire couldn’t be dead.

 

“I know what you’re thinking,’ Grantaire said, interrupting his train of thought. ‘And I’m not a ghost. I was revived.”

 

~

 

_After so much darkness, there was a blue light. Grantaire opened his eyes, and was suddenly faced with a glowing blue stag, standing directly in front of him. He had never seen such a thing before- maybe he had died, after all, and this was what the afterlife was like. Mystical blue stags._

_But somehow, he knew that this wasn’t the afterlife._

_Maybe it was because he was still surrounded by dead bodies and a burned-down forest._

_“The cold did not do you good,” A voice said._

_A voice he knew was in his head. But a voice he listened to nonetheless._

_“For a moment, you were gone from this realm,’ the voice continued. ‘But I brought you back, for you deserve a second chance. Fate has not done you well, young man, but I except you to create your own path from now on. My stag belongs to you, as a reminder of the mission I have sent you on. Your powers have grown stronger- that is what death does to you, sometimes. Poisons cannot hurt you, for that is an unfit way for you to end your time. Use your second chance wisely, for I don’t grant it to just anybody.”_

_And the voice disappeared._

_Grantaire slowly got up. He knew that it was impossible- for him to die and get revived, to be given a second chance. It didn’t make much sense, but somehow, he knew that it was something he had to believe. Curious to see if the voice was right, he picked a mistletoe berry and ate it. It didn’t do anything to him._

_Maybe this second chance wasn’t so bad after all._

~

 

“I stayed in Toulouse for three more years, where I continued studying witchcraft and magic and sharpening my skills. Then I came back here, when Toulouse was getting dangerous for anyone who practiced magic.”

 

Enjolras couldn’t believe what Grantaire had just told him. He had killed his previous coven with his mind, out of spite, and then died of hypothermia and revived by Artemis, given a second chance to make things right.

 

“It’s fine if you want to leave me or anything, I completely understand. It’s not every day that you hear your boyfriend killed-“

 

Enjolras kissed him, cutting him off. Why did Grantaire think he wanted to leave him? If anything, learning this made his love for him a little stronger. Grantaire’s life hadn’t been a piece of cake, and he’d faced so many obstacles that it seemed as if the entire universe was against him. He had killed people out of anger, and was still faced by grief for his actions. He had been given a chance to seek redemption, and he had achieved it. He had redeemed himself.

 

The kiss wasn’t intense, but it was passionate in its own way. Passionate enough to convey how Enjolras felt- that he wasn’t going to leave him because of this. They broke apart, and Enjolras took a moment to look at Grantaire. At his surreal blue eyes and inky curls, and the scar on his forearm, and the visible tattoos.

 

“I’d never leave you,” Enjolras said, voice soft and gentle.

 

“Not even after what I told you? I literally killed my own mother, Enj. Why would you want to stay with me?”

 

“Because I love you.”

 

Enjolras brushed his hair out of his face and pressed a kiss on the tip of his nose, eyes closed.

 

“God, R, I love you way too much for my own good. I know you killed people, but…it wasn’t exactly on purpose, and you were given a second chance. You’re a good person, you were just angry and you didn’t think about what you were doing. You’ve grown so much since then, trust me. You’re a better person now.”

 

Grantaire kissed his hand, “You think so?”

 

“I know so.”

 

“I can live with that.”

 

“Thank you for telling me. I know it was hard for you, trust me, I know, but it was the right thing to do. And don’t think that this has changed a single thing about our relationship, or changed the way I think of you. All it did was clear things up.”

 

Enjolras was incredibly happy that Grantaire had told him about his past. Even if it was dark, it was a brave thing to do. The right thing to do. And for once, Enjolras understood why Grantaire wouldn’t want to stay with the Coven, and why he alienated himself from them as much as possible. But he just didn’t want him to leave.

 

~

The next day, Enjolras arrived a bite late to the meeting. He had spent the entire day proving to Grantaire that he still loved him, even after learning what had happened in his past. He had sort of lost track of the time.

 

“There you are! We were starting to get worried,” Joly said.

 

“Yeah, I wonder what you were doing,” Courfeyrac said suspiciously.

 

Eponine laughed, “Good one.”

 

“Can we not joke about me?” Enjolras asked.

 

“It’s fun,” Eponine pouted.

 

“Yeah, well, we have actual things to do. I don’t call these meetings for nothing.”

 

The door to the bookstore opened, and Grantaire came running in.

 

“I have really good news, guys,” He said, breathless.

 

“Did you run all the way here?” Enjolras asked.

 

“Or maybe he’s breathless from something else,” Courfeyrac suggested.

 

Everyone burst into laughter, except for Enjolras and Grantaire.

 

“Yes, I ran all the way here. It’s just…really important news.”

 

“Go on, then. Tell us,” Bahorel said.

 

Grantaire got up on a chair again.

 

“I’d like to announce that the potion is officially 100% done.”

 

The Coven erupted into cheers. Grantaire got attacked by hugs as he stepped down from the chair. It seemed that everyone was happy- except that Enjolras wasn’t. If the potion was done, all they’d have to do was give it to Montparnasse somehow, and then Grantaire would be on his way. He’d leave them all, cut ties with them. Enjolras would see him, and he’d pretend they had never known each other. It hurt so much, and he felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest and ripped apart.

 

Grantaire noticed he wasn’t joining in on the fun, and approached him.

 

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

 

Enjolras looked up at him. How he’d miss those eyes, that smile…he’d miss everything about him.

 

“You’re going to be leaving soon, and I can’t do anything about it,” He whispered.

 

Grantaire pulled him into a hug, and Enjolras buried his face in his shirt.

 

“Don’t think about that, Enjolras. Just enjoy the time we have together now.”

 

Enjolras nodded, but he let a tear fall anyways. Grantaire pulled back and gently wiped his cheeks, smiling softly.

 

“Don’t cry,’ He said, voice soft. ‘It’s not the end yet.”

 

“I know,” Enjolras sniffled.

 

“Then come on, join the party. Chetta’s bringing back cupcakes, I think.”

 

“OK.”

 

Enjolras knew that he shouldn’t be thinking about that now. Not when they were celebrating. So he didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left, mon ami. I hate to say good-bye to this fic... *tear*  
> But anyways, Grantaire's past has been revealed. Yay!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter. I'm sorry this one is really long, there was a lot I had to add in it. Enjoy!

Although the potion was finished, there were still other things that needed to be done. Bahorel and Grantaire took it upon themselves to teach everyone a bit of self-defence, just in case Montparnasse’s allies decided to attack the Coven while Eponine was doing her job. Jehan was cleaning up the inventory, as he usually did at the end of each month, and Marius was finally putting all their dark magic spell books away in the storage room. Overall, they were being pretty productive in the attempt to defeat Montparnasse.

“So here’s the plan,” Grantaire began.

It was late in the evening, and everyone was exhausted after a day of training and working around the bookstore. Even though they were tired, everyone was still listening intently, because Grantaire was finally going to tell them the plan.

“Eponine, here’s your potion,’ He paused to hand her a vial filled with an amber-tinted liquid. ‘You’re going to call Montparnasse up- I’m assuming you still have his number. You’re going to schedule a dinner date for next Thursday. That’s going to give us enough time to prepare in case of an attack while you’re gone. You’re going to act incredibly casual during your date- don’t do anything suspicious. The vial’s going to be in your purse, so don’t touch it or anything throughout the evening.

“At any point in time, when Montparnasse is distracted, you’re going to pour the potion into his drink. It’ll dissolve instantly, and won’t leave a scent, colour or taste. You’ll know that Montparnasse drank it if he starts acting weirdly and then faints. Call 911, act normal, then let us know and one of us will come with you to the hospital to check that it did, in fact, work. And there you have it, folks.”

The Coven applauded him for the impromptu speech- even Enjolras, who could rarely find it in himself to act cheerfully these days, knowing what was in store in the future.

“So all I have to do is pour this in his drink?” Eponine asked.

“Pretty much. Should be easy enough.”

Eponine stared at the vial and slowly nodded, as if she didn’t believe it was going to be this simple. This was it, then. They already had a plan, and a date. And then it would be all over, and Grantaire would be gone.

Enjolras had promised Grantaire that he wouldn’t think about that, but some promises were meant to be broken.

~

It was one of those rare moments when Enjolras did happen to forget about Grantaire’s condition for helping them, because the man himself was currently half on top of him, sleeping peacefully. He’d been working his butt off lately, ensuring that Eponine knew the plan and everyone knew what to do in case of an attack. He’d been the angel that no one here deserved.

Eponine was currently calling Montparnasse to arrange a date, and even though she was only upstairs in the loft, she had encased herself in a sound-proof force field, so that Montparnasse couldn’t hear the Coven, and the Coven couldn’t hear her conversation.

“When’s Ponine going to be done?” Gavroche asked, picking at his rosette.

“Soon,” Courfeyrac replied.

He was flipping through the latest issue of Seventeen, completely disinterested in what was going on. Jehan was rearranging the plants throughout the store, Bahorel was going through a lesson Feuilly had missed, Joly was resupplying their many first aid kits, Bossuet was reading, Musichetta was working at the Musain, Marius and Cosette were doing whatever they do, and Combeferre was working on one of his many university assignments.

They were all patiently waiting for Eponine, but time seemed to drag on.

~

A few minutes later, Eponine came downstairs and waved her phone at them.

“I did it, I’ve got a date with Parnasse on Thursday at six. Is that good?”

Grantaire woke up for a brief second. He didn’t even open his eyes, just stretched out on Enjolras and curled up again.

“Sure,” He replied sleepily, probably completely unaware of what Eponine had said.

“He’s sleeping,” Enjolras told her.

Eponine nodded, “Of course. Well, let him know when he wakes up because I’m out of here. Come on Gav, let’s go get dinner.”

Gavroche reluctantly followed her out of the bookstore, as he had been perfectly content on his armchair. Combeferre looked up from his work.

“So what do we do now?” He asked.

Enjolras sighed, “I don’t know. We wait, I guess.”

~

Thursday came much too quickly. Everyone was so busy preparing that Enjolras hardly realized what day it was. He wished he had never realized.

He woke up a bit later than usual, and Grantaire was already at the bookstore, making sure everything was in place and Eponine remembered what to do. So he had to make himself coffee (which was hard, thank you very much) and breakfast, and he was in a considerably grumpy mood when he arrived at the bookstore.

“Well someone’s happy,” Grantaire laughed.

He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, hands resting on his knees, eyes closed. Enjolras sat down in front of him.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Meditating. It’s good for the soul.”

“Right. And how did you know I’m not in a good mood?”

Grantaire opened his eyes and blinked, looking directly at Enjolras.

“I know things.”

Eponine came out of the studio, a towel thrown over her shoulder. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

“R, you should’ve just told me your boy was here, I would’ve left you guys alone, there was no need to make me collect all the sweaty towels.”

Grantaire leaned back until he was flat on the ground, and rested his legs comfortably on Enjolras’ shoulders. He looked up at Eponine and grinned.

“Enj wasn’t here when I sent you away. I just wanted some peace while I meditated.”

“You meditate? Since when?” Eponine snorted ungracefully.

“Since forever. No go put all those sweaty towels in the laundry. Be useful.”

“You just want me to leave so you two can be alone.”

“Pretty much.”

Eponine rolled her eyes again but left nonetheless, closing the studio door behind her. Grantaire sat up again, folding his legs underneath him. He leaned in to kiss Enjolras, one hand carding through his hair and the other resting on his waist.

“Hello,” He said, smiling childishly.

“Hello,” Enjolras replied.

“You ready to defeat Montparnasse?”

Enjolras nuzzled into Grantaire’s touch and closed his eyes. He wasn’t ready to let go.

“No,’ He whispered. ‘I don’t think I ever will be.”

“This isn’t about Montparnasse, is it?”

“I don’t want to lose you, R. Not yet. Not ever.”

Instead of replying, Grantaire kissed him again, slow and soft, as if he was afraid of breaking him. Enjolras kissed back, with a bit more passion. He was desperate to get Grantaire to stay, and he’d do whatever it takes. He’d grown to depend on him for so many Coven-related things, he couldn’t bear to imagine what he’d do when he was gone. They broke apart, and Grantaire smiled that gorgeous smile of his.

“Stay strong,” He whispered.

Enjolras wished he could.

~

“You look absolutely dashing,” Grantaire commented.

He took Eponine’s hand and twirled her in front of the rest of the Coven. Jehan had taken it upon himself to find her something beautiful to wear for tonight- and, surprisingly, he had chosen a simple black dress.

“Dashing?” Eponine asked.

“Beautiful.”

“That’s more like it.”

Combeferre stepped inside the bookstore and gestured outside.

“You ready to go? There’s a taxi waiting for you.”

Eponine nodded, “Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be.”

She turned and hugged Grantaire, whispering something only he could hear, then grabbed her purse, checked the vial was inside, and followed Combeferre outside. A few seconds later, he came back inside.

“She’s off, and now all we can do is wait.”

~

Eponine was nervous. She was tapping her foot in the taxi and playing with her purse the whole time. The taxi driver parked a bit before the restaurant and looked at her through the mirror.

“You all right, kid?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

She smiled and brushed hair out of her face. She was so nervous- everyone was depending on her now, and what if she messed up?

“Enjoy your night, kid.”

“Thanks.”

Eponine reached into her purse to get some cash, but the taxi driver dismissed her.

“Don’t worry about it,’ He said. ‘Your friend already paid me.”

“Oh, I’ll have to thank him later.”

“Off you go.”

Eponine smiled at him again before exiting the taxi, waving a little before he left. This was already a good start to the evening. The restaurant they had chosen was an incredibly pretentious, expensive, tourist-filled location close to the Eiffel Tower. It would have been romantic, if she wasn’t planning on slipping a potion in his drink at some point.

Taking a deep breath, Eponine entered the restaurant.

She immediately located the hostess, who directed her to Montparnasse. He had definitely cleaned up since the last time Eponine had seen him- which was in an alleyway, and she had been beating him up, but he looked better nonetheless. He smiled when he saw her.

“Eponine Thenardier. I was starting to think you weren’t going to show.”

Eponine sat down in front of him, placing her purse beside her. She picked up the menu as nonchalantly as she could and shrugged.

“You know how traffic is. What do you recommend?”

Montparnasse gestured for a waiter before turning back to her.

“Their moules marinieres is excellent. The blanquette de veau is also exceptional, but the sole meuniere might be more to your taste.”

“I think I’ll take the sole meuniere. And you?”

“The moules marinieres.”

The waiter approached their table. Montparnasse turned to him.

“What would you like to order?” The waiter asked.

“A bottle of Sancerre pinot noir, please. A sole meuniere for the lady, and a moules marinieres for myself.”

The waiter nodded and took their menus.

“Excellent choice.”

With that, he left their table. He returned a few seconds later with their bottle of pinot noir, and Montparnasse immediately poured them each a glass.

“Tell me, darling,’ He said, pausing to take a sip of his wine. ‘How have you been?”

“As good as I could be, I guess. And what about you?”

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

Eponine frowned, “I’m not.”

“Well, then, I’ve been fine. How has Gavroche been doing, our little urchin?”

Eponine took a sip from her wine.

“Good.”

“Has he been keeping up in school?”

“You know him, school doesn’t interest him much.”

Montparnasse nodded, “And what of your friends? How are they?”

“Good, I think. I don’t really know.”

“Well, what friends they are.”

“They are good friends, they’re just not…expressive.”

“Suit yourself. Have I told you that your dress looks lovely on you?”

“No,” Eponine blushed.

She was on a mission, why was she blushing?

Montparnasse smiled, “Well, it is. Who picked it out?”

“J- I did.”

“You have a good taste in fashion. You’re too perfect.”

“I’m really not.”

“Modesty doesn’t suit you, Eponine.”

Instead of replying, Eponine raised her glass in a mock toast, before downing half of its contents. She needed to loosen up a bit, otherwise she’d never be able to give him the potion.

~

“You were right, this sole meuniere is amazing!”

Montparnasse smiled approvingly, “I’m glad.”

“No, really, this is the best thing I’ve eaten all week. I mean, Grantaire’s an amazing chef and all, but I bet even he can’t pull this off.”

“Grantaire? Your friend? The one who just recently came to Paris?”

Eponine nodded, “Yeah, that’s him. He came back here a few months ago. Why?”

“I don’t like him.”

“Why not?”

“He has a bad reputation.”

“So do you. You’re being hypocritical.”

Montparnasse sighed, “Maybe I just don’t want another man to steal you away from me.”

“You have nothing to worry about, then. That won’t happen.”

“Good. Then I like him.”

Suddenly, Montparnasse’s phone started ringing. He offered her a sympathetic smile before picking up and leaving the table.

This was it. This was Eponine’s chance.

She quickly took the vial, dumped its contents into his wine glass, and placed the empty vial back in her purse, then continued eating that delicious sole meuniere. Montparnasse returned after a few minutes.

“I’m sorry about that,’ He said. ‘Business partners tend to call whenever I’m busy with someone else.”

Eponine dismissed him with a flick of her hand, “Oh, it’s fine. Really.”

Montparnasse nodded and raised his wine glass to his lips.

“Where were we?”

“Discussing Grantaire, I think.”

Montparnasse took a long sip from his wine and set the glass down, “Ah, yes, your friend. And how long is he staying here?”

His hand started twitching on the table. Eponine let out a breath of relief. It was already working. She made herself a mental reminder to thank Grantaire a million times.

“Are you all right?” She asked.

Montparnasse had suddenly gone extremely pale. He frantically nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine. Why?”

“You’re very pale. And your hand’s twitching.”

Montparnasse’s eyes grew wider and he shoved his hand underneath the table.

“I’s nothing, I’m fine.”

“All right, if you say so.”

“So, how long is your friend staying here for?”

“Well, he never-“

Eponine stopped mid-sentence, because Montparnasse’s eyes had started to rapidly change colour. This potion did weird things to him.

“What?” Montparnasse asked, panic obvious in his voice.

“Your eyes. They’re changing colours.”

“That’s impossible.”

“No, it’s happening right now. Going from blue to green and back to blue, then to brown and green and so on.”

“That…that can’t be happening, it’s not biologically possible.”

And then he fainted. Literally just collapsed on the floor. Eponine immediately took her phone out, playing the part of frantic date.

“Someone! This man just fainted!” She called, trying to get a waiter’s attention.

So far so good.

~

Montparnasse was rushed to the hospital, and Eponine stayed behind at the restaurant for a while to pay the bill (unfortunately, she still had to) and let the Coven know that she had given him the potion.

“Hey, good job.”

Eponine looked up from her phone at Grantaire, who was standing by her booth. He looked out of place in the restaurant, dressed in a hoodie and jeans and combat boots.

“You here to pick me up?” She asked.

“Yeah, come on. Enjolras is waiting outside.”

“You got Enjolras to drive you?”

“His car was already at the bookstore. Come on, let’s go.”

Eponine smiled and followed him outside and to Enjolras’ car.

“We going straight to the hospital?” Enjolras asked.

“Yeah,” Grantaire said.

Enjolras nodded and started the car. Eponine spent the ride staring out the window, watching tourists and locals. She couldn’t believe she had actually given Montparnasse the potion, and that it had actually worked. Sometimes, miracles happened.

~

“How is he?” Eponine asked.

The doctor looked at her with a blank expression, “I’m afraid he’s been stripped of his powers, miss. He’s awake now, and dealing with it.”

“Can we see him?”

“Only two people at a time, I’m afraid.”

Enjolras nudged Grantaire.

“Go, I’ll stay here.”

Grantaire nodded and, taking Eponine’s hand, the duo followed the doctor to Montparnasse’s room. The doctor led them in and gently closed the door behind them. Montparnasse still looked deathly pale, but his eyes had stopped changing colours and his hand had stopped twitching.

“Eponine, did you hear?” He asked.

“That you were stripped of your powers?” She replied.

Montparnasse nodded, “Yes. Unbelievable. Who would do something like that to me?”

“We would,’ Grantaire said. ‘And we did.”

Montparnasse snarled, “You stripped my powers? You gave me a potion and did this to me? You…I can’t believe you did this, Eponine. I thought you loved me! I thought you were giving me a second chance!”

Eponine glared at him, “Bastards like you don’t deserve a second chance. I did what was necessary, to stop you from hurting my friends. From hurting me.”

“And your friend was in on it the whole time?”

Grantaire raised his hand, “I made the potion, actually.”

“YOU DID WHAT?”

“I gave the Coven the idea to strip your powers, too,’ Grantaire continued. ‘Honestly, if it wasn’t for me, you’d still have them.”

Montparnasse struggled against his restraints and tried to lunge forward at them, only causing himself more pain. He sunk back against the hospital bed.

“I will get you, Eponine Thenardier. I will exact my revenge, strip your powers, and get all I need from your friends for redemption. You better watch your back. The shadows are my friends, too.”

The trio were silent for some time, and then Grantaire opened the door, middle-fingered Montparnasse, and led Eponine out. They silently followed the doctor back to the waiting room, where Enjolras was.

“How did it go?” Enjolras asked.

They headed outside.

“As good as it could. We told Montparnasse that we did it, and he swore revenge,” Grantaire summarized.

Eponine hit his arm, “Oh, and R gave Parnasse the middle-finger before we left.”

Enjolras glared at him, “You did what? Wasn’t this supposed to be a friendly meeting?”

Grantaire snorted, “Hardly. The man got only what he deserved.”

“If you say so,” Enjolras sighed.

They got into the car and drove back to the bookstore. Eponine couldn’t believe it. She had defeated Montparnasse. She had helped her friends, her Coven. That was more than she could ever ask for.

~

The next day, Eponine made it her new mission to get Montparnasse thrown in prison again. She filed the case, and decided that was a good enough start.

The Coven were busy preparing for a party they were going to throw tonight, to celebrate their success, Montparnasse’s defeat, and the fact that Enjolras and Grantaire were finally an item.

Enjolras was happy, like everyone else, that the whole feud with Montparnasse was over, but he was incredibly disheartened at the same time. Grantaire would be leaving him any day now, and he wished there was some way he could stop that. His magic wasn’t strong enough to cast some sort of spell that would do that, so magic was out of the question. He had already tried convincing Grantaire to stay, but every time he brought the subject up he was silenced. He knew he wouldn’t be able to move on, and having to act as if they were strangers pulled at his heart. He couldn’t do that. It was too much to ask for.

“Courf says we need to hang up those fairy lights that Jehan has, but I think that’s a bit too much,” Combeferre said.

Enjolras didn’t respond. He just kept staring out of the loft window, hugging several of the pillows.

“Enj?”

Combeferre sat down beside him and removed one of his pillows to draw attention.

“Enjolras, what’s wrong?”

“He’s going to leave, Ferre. He’s going to leave me and never come back, and he won’t change his mind.”

Combeferre smiled sympathetically, “It’ll be all right. You’ll be all right.”

“No, I won’t. Not until he decides to stay.”

“You’re strong, you’ll make it through this.”

“No I won’t!” Enjolras retorted stubbornly.

Combeferre sighed loudly and got up, offering him another sympathetic smile, before going back downstairs. Enjolras wasn’t going to be all right, he knew it. He could already feel himself falling apart.

~

The party lasted most of the night, and Enjolras was pretty sure almost everyone had passed out somewhere in the bookstore by the time it was over. He had barely talked to Grantaire, which he figured was a good thing, considering what was about to happen. They might as well get used to not having the other person around.

But Enjolras didn’t want to have to get used to living without him.

He decided to go to Grantaire’s apartment, and when the door opened, he immediately kissed him with an untamed passion.

Sensing how important this was to him, Grantaire closed the door and carefully led them to his bedroom. Enjolras honestly didn’t care what they were going to do now- he just needed to know that he had Grantaire all to himself one last time.

Grantaire broke them apart as soon as they were both on his bed.

“Enjolras, you can’t do this to yourself.”

“Do what?”

“Pretending that it’s not going to happen. That I’m not going to leave.”

“I’m not doing that,’ Enjolras retorted. ‘I’m acknowledging that you are going to leave, and I’m enjoying my last few days with you.”

Grantaire visibly relaxed at this, “Good.”

“Please, can we just…can we continue? As if you weren’t leaving, just for tonight?”

Grantaire nodded, “Yeah, I can do that.”

He leaned in to kiss Enjolras again.

~

Later that night, Enjolras found himself awake at one in the morning, with Grantaire holding him tightly even though he was asleep. He remembered all the times he’d come to his apartment at this exact time, whenever he couldn’t fall asleep, and the two of them would head up to the rooftop garden. God, he missed those days. When reality was so distant, and the stars were much closer. When they didn’t have anything to like this to worry about.

This time, he didn’t go up to the garden.

~

The next day, the Coven were hosting a little farewell party at the bookstore. Enjolras didn’t attend, because he knew that if he did, reality would come crashing, and if he didn’t go, he could hold on to his fantasies for just a little longer. So while Grantaire was at the party, he stayed in his apartment, familiarising himself with all the things that defined the man he loved. He knew that he’d never get to see the apartment again, so he drank in every detail he could.

Reality was already settling in his mind, and he wished it didn’t.

~

The last person Grantaire had to say good-bye to was Eponine. Oh, Eponine. He had only seen her after being separated for 12 years, and now he had to say good-bye? It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair. Maybe the universe was against him.

“You going to say good-bye to me, too?” Eponine asked.

“I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too soon to say good-bye, Ep. I just saw you again, like, less than a year ago and now I have to say good-bye? It’s unfair.”

“It was your choice, though.”

Grantaire sighed, “I guess you’re right. But I can’t stay here, you know that. I can’t let myself get attached to people. I can’t repeat my mistakes.”

Eponine pulled him into a hug, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt like she was about to cry, but she wasn’t going to let herself.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” She whispered fiercely.

“I’m going to miss you, too. Take care of Gav, will you?”

Eponine let a tear roll down her cheek, “I will. Thank you for everything, R.”

“No problem. After all, what are friends for?”

Eponine tightened her hold on him. She wasn’t ready to let him go just yet.

“Why can’t you just stay?” She asked quietly.

“You know why.”

Eponine took a deep breath and then stepped back. The only way she’d be able to live through this was if they did it quick, like ripping off a Band-Aid.

“I’ll start crying if I have to see you any longer,’ She sniffed. ‘So I think we should say good-bye now.”

“You sure?”

Eponine nodded and wiped at her eyes, “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ve done this before, I can do it again. Go.”

“Good-bye, Eponine.”

She smiled, “Bye, R.”

Grantaire smiled back and then, with a little wave, left the bookstore. As soon as he left, Eponine collapsed on the couch and started crying. Why was she so emotional? She was never emotional over anything. But now…now her friend was gone, forever. The friend she’d only gotten to see again after 12 years apart. If she had managed before, she could live through this again. Only this time, it was much harder.

~

It was late when Grantaire finally returned. Enjolras had gone back to his apartment sometime in the afternoon, desperate to get away from reality. It hadn’t really worked.

Grantaire had asked Enjolras to meet him outside his apartment building, so he did. It was cold out, and it was snowing, and Enjolras hadn’t bothered to take a jacket. At least the cold numbed the pain in his heart.

“I came to say good-bye,” Grantaire said.

“Why?”

“I thought it’d be rude to leave without doing so.”

“No, I mean, why are you going?”

Grantaire sighed, “You know why, Enj. I’m scared of myself, and I don’t want to redo my mistakes. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. I won’t let that happen.”

“It’s not really up to you. I’m going so that nobody gets hurt.”

“But I am!” Enjolras protested.

He walked up to Grantaire and looked directly at him.

“I’m hurt,” He whispered.

“You’ll get over it.”

Why was Grantaire trying so hard to push him away?

“Don’t you understand? I won’t get over it. I can’t. I’m in love with you, I can’t just get over it. I won’t let myself.”

“I still have to go, Enj. I know you know why, and I know you want me to stay, but I can’t. I can’t let myself get attached to people I might end up killing.”

“Then I’ll take that risk.”

“I’m not going to let you.”

They stood in silence for a while, snow swirling around them. The world seemed to stop for a few seconds, as the realization finally sunk in.

“So this is good-bye, then,” Enjolras whispered.

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

“Before you leave…one last kiss?”

Grantaire nodded, “Sure.”

He leaned in to kiss Enjolras. It was slow and soft, full of sadness and longing and love. Enjolras wished that it wouldn’t be their last kiss, but he knew it would be. He knew he’d probably never see Grantaire again. He knew he’d never be able to get over him.

They broke apart, and Enjolras carded his fingers through his hair, eyes closed. He was going to hold on to this moment as much as he could.

“Enjolras,” Grantaire said, voice broken and soft.

Enjolras opened his eyes, but he couldn’t look at Grantaire, so he turned his gaze to his shoes.

“I think I should go now.”

Enjolras looked up and tightened his hold on Grantaire. He couldn’t let him go now. He didn’t want to. He wouldn’t.

“Not yet,” He said.

His vision was blurry with tears, and he knew that it was time to let go, but he just couldn’t.

“Please, Enj. Prolonging this is just going to hurt both of us.”

And Grantaire was right. It would only hurt more if Enjolras refused to say good-bye.

“OK,” He replied softly.

Enjolras stepped back. He looked at Grantaire one last time, taking in every little detail he could. He still couldn’t believe that this was really the end.

“Good-bye, R.”

“Good-bye, Enj.”

Grantaire gave him one last, soft kiss.

“I’m never going to forget you,” He whispered.

With that, Grantaire stepped back and headed down the street, disappearing into the crowd. He didn’t look back.

Enjolras touched his lips and closed his eyes, leaning against the wall of the building. He stayed outside for a while, watching people pass by and the snow fall. It was all over now. He took a deep breath and walked back inside. He didn’t look back, either.

~

It was summer, and Paris was blooming with tourists. These days, Enjolras could barely get to the Musain without getting attacked by a mob of tourists. It had been six months since Grantaire had left, and there was still no word of him. No one had seen him, even though they were sure he had stayed in the city. No one talked about him, either.

Enjolras had learned to live with it by now, but he still wasn’t over him. He didn’t think he ever would be.

The Coven was doing well, and Jehan had successfully restocked. Marius had finally gotten rid of every single dark magic spell book they had, and Enjolras had replaced them with newer, updated guides. Eponine rarely showed up at meetings, or at all- but that was fine, everyone knew she was going through some tough times. Montparnasse was in prison again, with a sentence that Eponine wouldn’t share. He still had allies all over the city, so they still practiced self-defence and learned new magic in case they ever came across one of them.

Enjolras knew that Grantaire would probably never come back, but some part of him still clung to the hope that he would. That he just went on some spiritual journey, or whatever. But the chances of that actually being the case were extremely low. Enjolras tried not to think about him too much.

~

It was already dark out by the time Enjolras left the bookstore on Friday. The streets were still crowded, so he decided to take the short cut through the park he had grown familiar with. There was barely anyone there, just a few people heading home after a long day. Enjolras was one of them.

As he passed through the park, he thought he saw the shadows move. Now really wasn’t the time to think about such things.

But he had been right. They were moving.

“On behalf of Montparnasse,” a voice said.

The last thing Enjolras felt was a sharp pain in his gut, and then he passed out.

~

When he woke up, he found himself tucked under a bunch of mismatched blankets on an extremely comfortable bed. He adjusted his eyes to the sudden burst of light coming from the window. He looked around the room.

He knew this place.

What was he doing here?

“You’re awake. Good.”

Enjolras turned around and his heart skipped a beat. Leaning against the doorway was Grantaire, looking as good as he did six months ago. He was smiling.

“Awake? Did I pass out?” Enjolras asked.

“Yeah, when I got to you, you were already unconscious.”

“What happened?”

Instead of replying, Grantaire handed him a jagged knife.

“You were stabbed. With this.”

Enjolras turned the knife over in his hands, “What is it?”

“A scythe.”

_“As I was saying,’ Grantaire continued, eyes narrowed at Enjolras. ‘I found two relatively safe ways to strip Montparnasse’s powers: we can use a potion, or we can use a scythe.”_

Enjolras’ eyes widened. No, that couldn’t have happened. He couldn’t have- but maybe he had. It all felt too surreal.

“Is that…what I think it is?”

He suddenly felt light-headed and dizzy. He wanted to go throw up, but he couldn’t.

Grantaire nodded, “It’s a power-stripping scythe. Someone stripped your powers.”

Enjolras collapsed back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. This couldn’t be happening to him. He’d spent the last couple of months strengthening his powers, and now he lost them? No, that was…that was unfair.

“How did you find me?” He asked.

“I was in the area.”

Enjolras sat up again. He couldn’t let himself gain false hope again, not like last time.

“Thanks for helping me, but if you could just get me back to my friends-“

“Enj, I’m here to help you.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m going to stay with you until you get better.”

“You’re not going to leave?”

Enjolras forced himself to look up, and oh how he’d missed Grantaire. Missed his gorgeous inky curls, and those vibrant blue eyes. It felt so good to be near him again, but it hurt at the same time.

“No, I’m not. You know what they say: if you love someone, let them go, and if they love you, they’ll come back. I’m not leaving, Enj.”

Enjolras crawled out of the blankets to hug Grantaire, burying his nose in his curls. God, he’d missed him so much. It was good to have him back.

He remembered that the only reason he was here was because he had lost his powers- probably the doing of one of Montparnasse’s allies. He wondered what life would be like now, without magic. How would he work with the Coven? Could he still be part of it? He had so many questions racing through his mind, but he put them aside.

All that mattered right now was that Grantaire was here, and he was going to help him. And, well, maybe Enjolras could be a little less reluctant to receive his help, as he had been last time.

He decided to give him a second chance.

And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t have to say good-bye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm done! Thanks to everyone who stuck with this fic, it made me happy. Comments and kudos make my day, so feel free to leave any. I had so much fun writing this fic (even if the ending made me kind of sad). For everyone who read this, except a sequel in the near future. It's in planning. Thanks to everyone who stuck with it again!
> 
> Notes on food in the fic:  
> Moules marinieres is a dish consisting of mussels cooked in a white wine broth with shallots and parsley
> 
> Blanquette de veau is basically veal ragout
> 
> Sole meuniere is a fish dish
> 
> Thanks for sticking with this (again)! <3


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